Food manufacturers are failing audits they thought they’d pass.
Compliant on Paper, a new report from Food Industry Executive presented by SafetyChain, explores the difference between what food safety documentation shows and what auditors find when they walk the floor.
The research draws on FDA inspection data, USDA FSIS investigations, peer-reviewed meta-analyses, third-party certification body reports, and an exclusive interview with Frank Yiannas, former FDA Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response.
What the data shows:
Self-reported compliance runs nearly double what direct observation captures, across all 31 studies in a peer-reviewed meta-analysis.
All five of BRCGS’s most-cited food safety non-conformances fall under Section 4 (Site Standards), including basic requirements like clean equipment, sound building fabric, and working sanitation procedures.
FDA warning letters jumped 73% in H2 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, and Class I recalls have grown 36.4% since 2021.
The report also covers what audit-ready looks like on the floor, and the five disciplines that determine whether your facility holds up when an inspector walks in.
