Temperature Logs Without Corrective Action Records Temperature monitoring exists in almost every kitchen. The log is maintained. The problem is that when a deviation is recorded — a fridge found above 8°C, a hot-hold unit below 63°C — there is no corresponding corrective action entry. An FSSAI auditor does not want to see a clean log. They want to see evidence that when something went wrong, someone did something about it and documented it. Pest Control Documentation Without On-Site Evidence Contracts with pest control operators are in place. Service records are filed. But the bait station map is not displayed, the last visit certificate is missing from the kitchen notice board, and the in-house daily checklist has not been completed for eleven days. Documentation that exists in a file but is not operationally active is, for audit purposes, documentation that does not exist. Allergen Traceability Gaps Menu allergen declarations are present. What is usually missing is the chain of evidence connecting the declaration to the actual product in use — supplier specification sheets, batch-specific allergen data, and records showing that substitutions were checked for allergen impact before they were implemented. A recipe that says ‘gluten-free’ and a supplier who changed their formulation three months ago is an audit finding and a guest safety risk simultaneously. Medical Fitness Certificates — Current on the Board, Expired in the File This is the single most common gap across every property I have audited. Certificates are displayed. They are not renewed. A one-year certificate displayed from fifteen months ago is a non-compliance, regardless of how prominently it is positioned on the staff notice board. Calibration Records for Measuring Equipment Thermometers, probe thermometers, weighing scales — all in regular use, none with documented calibration records. If the instrument used to verify food safety parameters has not been verified itself, every temperature reading it has produced is, from a compliance standpoint, unverified data. FIFO Not Reflected in Physical Practice The policy is on the wall. The training record shows it was covered. The walk-in, on the day of the audit, has product from three days ago behind product delivered this morning. Documented procedures that are contradicted by physical observation are an auditor’s clearest signal that the system is not being managed — it is being performed. Cleaning and Sanitation Schedule — Incomplete or Unverified Deep clean schedules exist. Sign-off columns exist. The issue is that sign-offs are completed by the person who performed the cleaning, with no supervisory verification. An auditor will ask who checked that the cleaning was done to standard. If the answer is no one, or if the verification column is blank, that is a finding. Water Quality Testing Records Municipal water supply is assumed to be potable. In most jurisdictions under FSSAI, that assumption is not sufficient. Periodic microbiological and chemical testing of the water used in food preparation, with current reports on file, is a requirement that is routinely overlooked until an audit makes it impossible to overlook. Supplier Approval Documentation Approved vendor lists exist. What is often missing is the underlying documentation that justifies the approval — supplier FSSAI licences, copies of their food safety certifications, and records of any supplier audits or assessments conducted. Using a supplier without a documented basis for their approval is a traceability gap from the audit’s first question. Staff Hygiene Training Records That Are Not Current Induction training was completed. It was documented. It has not been refreshed. FSSAI expects food safety training to be periodic, not one-time. If your training records show that the entire kitchen team was trained at opening and nothing has happened since, that is a finding — irrespective of how well the team actually performs on the floor.