What Happens at a Verification Visit and How to Prepare

Every food business operating under a Food Control Plan in New Zealand receives periodic verification visits. These aren’t optional inspections. They’re a legal requirement under the Food Act 2014. Understanding what happens during a visit and preparing properly can mean the difference between an acceptable and unacceptable outcome.

The Two Outcomes

There are only two possible results from a verification visit:

• Acceptable, meaning your food business is operating in accordance with your Food Control Plan. You continue as normal.
• Unacceptable, meaning one or more significant issues were identified. This triggers corrective actions, potential follow-up visits, and may increase your verification frequency (and costs).

There’s no middle ground, no “pass with conditions,” no informal warnings. It’s binary.

How Often Visits Happen

Verification frequency is based on two factors:

1. Risk profile of your food business. Higher-risk operations (e.g., manufacturing ready-to-eat products) are verified more frequently than lower-risk ones (e.g., retail only).
2. Compliance history. Businesses with a track record of acceptable outcomes may have their verification frequency reduced. Businesses with unacceptable outcomes will see it increase.

A typical FCP business might be verified annually or every 18 months. After an unacceptable outcome, you could be looking at a follow-up visit within a few months.

What Verifiers Check

Verifiers don’t check everything at every visit. They work from a rotating set of topics, covering different aspects of your FCP across successive visits. Common areas include:

• FCP documentation. Is your plan current? Does it reference the correct MPI template version? Have you recorded any amendments?
• Temperature records. Are you monitoring and recording temperatures as required? Are your records complete, with no gaps?
• Cleaning and sanitising. Are you following your cleaning schedule? Can you demonstrate that equipment and surfaces are being cleaned as documented?
• Supplier records. Do you have records for all your food suppliers? Can you trace ingredients back to their source?
• Staff training. Have staff been trained on your FCP? Are training records up to date?
• Corrective actions. When something went wrong, did you identify it, record it, and fix it? Are corrective actions documented and closed out? See our guide on corrective action examples if you need help with this.
• Recall readiness. Have you conducted a mock recall in the past 12 months? Can you demonstrate traceability?
• Allergen management. Are allergens identified, controlled, and communicated correctly?

How to Prepare

Keep Records Current

The single most common reason for unacceptable outcomes is incomplete records. Temperature logs with gaps, missing supplier invoices, undocumented corrective actions. These are the things that trip businesses up.

Don’t try to backfill records the week before a visit. Verifiers can tell. Instead, maintain your records consistently throughout the year.

Review Your FCP

Before your visit, read through your Food Control Plan. Make sure it matches what you actually do. If your processes have changed but your plan hasn’t been updated, that’s a non-compliance. Update the plan to reflect reality.

Check Your Templates

Make sure you’re operating under the current MPI template version. As of 29 August 2025, the current template was issued under Food Notice v39-00005. All businesses must be on the new version by 30 April 2026. If you’re still on an older version, update before your visit.

Brief Your Staff

Verifiers may speak to your staff during a visit. Your team should know the basics: where the FCP is kept, what the key food safety procedures are, and what to do if something goes wrong. They don’t need to recite the plan, but they should understand their role in it.

Have Everything Accessible

Don’t make your verifier wait while you dig through boxes. Have your FCP, temperature records, training records, supplier records, corrective actions, and mock recall documentation ready and organised. If you’re paper-based, have it in a folder. If you’re digital, make sure you can pull it up quickly.

What to Do After an Unacceptable Outcome

An unacceptable outcome isn’t the end of the world, but you need to act on it:

1. Read the verification report carefully. Understand exactly what was found to be non-compliant.
2. Complete corrective actions promptly. Your verifier will specify what needs to be fixed and may set a deadline.
3. Document everything. Record what you did to fix each issue and when.
4. Prepare for a follow-up visit. You may be re-verified sooner than your normal schedule. Make sure the issues are genuinely resolved, not just papered over.

The Cost Factor

Verification visits aren’t free. You pay for them, and the cost increases with frequency. An unacceptable outcome that doubles your verification frequency also doubles your verification costs. Getting it right the first time is cheaper than fixing it after the fact.

If you’re using Verify, your records are always current and audit-ready. If you’re managing paper records, consistent daily maintenance is the only way to stay prepared.