Food defence plan BRCGS: example and template
A food defence plan describes how you protect your product against deliberate harm or contamination. You map where someone from outside or inside the company could cause harm, and which measures counter that. Within BRCGS, this plan sits alongside your food fraud assessment, which covers economically motivated fraud. We explain the difference on food fraud and food defence.
The plan is a working document, not theory. Start with the scope definition so you know which sites are included. Use the template below, complete it per site and link every measure to evidence. An auditor looks at the connection between what is on paper and what happens on the floor. You will find the related requirements in the requirements guide.
The template is a practical structure that you can adapt. It does not replace the current BRCGS requirements. According to a whitepaper by Mérieux NutriSciences on Issue 9, members of the food defence team must know the risks and principles of food defence, and the plan must comply with the legislation of the country of sale. Read the applicable standard and ask your certification body which parts are mandatory for your scope.
The template in one table
| Component | What you fill in | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Team | Names and roles of the assessors, including production and security | Team list with date |
| Site plan | Building, outdoor area, loading and unloading points, storage and production zones | Current site plan with markings |
| Access groups | Employees, temporary staff, maintenance, drivers, visitors, auditors | List per group with access rights |
| Vulnerable points | Places where product is open or unattended | List with location and time window |
| Threat description | One line per point: where, when, who can get in | Threat register |
| Assessment | Likelihood and impact, before and after measures | Score with rationale |
| Measures | Existing and new controls with owner and date | Records, locks, logs |
| Review | When the plan is reviewed and who does it | Review report with date |
A worked example
A fictional sauce producer has one production hall with a mixing room, a filling line and a raw materials store. The company receives raw materials by tanker at the loading dock, and visitors register at reception.
The assessor completes the template as follows:
- Vulnerable point: the mixing room is unattended for twenty minutes during the lunch break, and the door is open during that time.
- Threat description: unattended access to the mixing room by people from outside the production team, during the break.
- Existing measure: access to the mixing room with a badge, but during the break the door is propped open with a wedge for ventilation.
- Assessment: medium likelihood, high impact. After the new measure, the likelihood is lower, because the door can no longer stay open.
- New measure: the wedge is removed, the door closes automatically and the shift leader checks this before the break starts.
- Evidence: a break record with the shift leader, date and time, plus a photo of the closed door.
This example shows how the template works. You start with the specific point, write one clear threat description, and end with evidence. That way you can show the auditor exactly what happens.
Steps to build the plan
Form a team
Include at least someone from production, from purchasing or goods receiving, from security or facilities, and a manager. One person who assesses everything often misses the spots that other departments see every day.
Walk the site from outside to inside
Start at the perimeter: fencing, gates, outer doors, the roofline, and the intake points for bulk raw materials, water and energy. Do this once during a busy period and once during a quiet moment.
Mark all open or unattended points
Follow the product from goods receipt to dispatch. Also note rework, samples, returned product and material waiting for disposal. These are often the forgotten spots.
Write one threat description per point
Describe the location, the access situation and the time window in one sentence. Do not describe methods or name substances. Those details do not belong in a document that many people read.
Assess, act, then reassess
Give likelihood and impact a score, record the existing measures with evidence, and then reassess. A measure without a record does not count. The practice source below also does not count an undocumented measure in the reassessment.
Escalate what you cannot solve yourself
Investments in fencing, agreements with the landlord or decisions by a customer go to the management review. Give each point an owner and a date.
What the auditor wants to see
An auditor checks in two directions. They walk from a measure on the floor back to the threat risk that the measure should cover. They also walk from a high-scored risk to the measure that is actually in place. If either direction does not hold, the plan does not work in practice.
Practice sources on food defence list typical requests, such as:
- the team list with roles;
- a site plan that matches the walk-through;
- current lists of who has access to which zone;
- visitor registrations for a date the auditor chooses;
- exercise or test records;
- training for operators, cleaners, drivers and contractors.
The last request is often underestimated. A plan that exists only in the office will not hold up on the shop floor.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Effect at audit | Better approach |
|---|---|---|
| Copying a template without looking at your own site | Site plan and threats do not match | Walk the site first, then complete the template |
| Naming only security and fencing | Internal access and visitors stay unprotected | Work out each access group separately |
| Measures without evidence | Auditor notes that it is not demonstrated | A record for every measure |
| The plan is never reviewed | Plan no longer fits the new line or shift | Fixed review and revision with every change |
| Threat descriptions that include methods | Document becomes sensitive and hard to share | Only location, access and time |
Frequently asked questions
Is a food defence plan the same as a risk assessment?
It is part of your food safety approach, with its own focus. A standard HACCP risk assessment looks at unintentional hazards. The food defence plan looks at deliberate harm. Both must connect, but they cannot replace each other. See also food fraud and food defence.
How often must I review the plan?
Review it with every relevant change: a new line, a new shift, new outsourcing or an incident. In addition, set a fixed periodic review in your own procedure, and record it.
Do I need a separate plan for each site?
Yes, if the sites have a different building, different access or different processes. A shared plan only works if the circumstances are truly the same. Read the scope page to define your sites clearly.
Sources
- ASC Food Safety: food defence threat assessment (TACCP) , a practice source on how to build a threat assessment. It is not an official BRCGS text.