Simply Safe & Suitable record keeping: keep the plan usable in the kitchen.

The template Food Control Plan is not just a document to register. It needs to be followed in daily operations, with the records required by the plan available when they are needed.

What MPI expects

MPI’s Simply Safe & Suitable process requires businesses to create and register the relevant template Food Control Plan, follow it in practice and be verified. MPI also publishes record blanks and forms for the plan, including updated templates released in 2026.

The exact records depend on the activities and sections that apply to the business. That is why a useful digital implementation should reflect the operation rather than simply reproducing every possible form.

Record keeping should support the plan

Operators should be able to show what was done, when it was done, who completed it and what happened if a control failed. The record is strongest when it is connected to the relevant operating procedure and corrective action.

For operators

Three things make FCP records useful

Relevant

Only require records that match the business activities, controls and equipment actually in use.

Complete

Capture the reading, check or decision plus any action needed when something is outside the expected control.

Retrievable

Keep records organised so supervisors and verifiers can find the required evidence without searching folders.

Digital implementation

Do not digitise unnecessary paperwork.

A better approach is to map the business activities to the relevant FCP controls, configure only the records needed to operate those controls, and make exceptions and corrective actions visible.

See how CSA approaches Food Control Plan records →

Primary sources: MPI Steps to a Simply Safe & Suitable template FCP and MPI Forms and documents for Food Act plans and programmes.