Documented Information & Records Management Policy

Current instructions and dependable records

The policy covers policies, procedures, work instructions, specifications, forms, records and necessary external documents used across the FSQMS. It requires documented information to reflect current practices and system requirements, and records to provide objective evidence of the controls applied to food safety, quality, legality and authenticity.

By governing both within the same framework, the policy helps ensure that personnel work from authorised information and that completed activities, checks and decisions remain available for review rather than depending on recollection or uncontrolled local copies.

Control from creation and approval to retention and disposal

For documents, the policy establishes systematic creation, review, approval, issue and amendment controls. It requires current authorised versions to be available at points of use and obsolete versions to be withdrawn, while allowing retention where legal or reference requirements make this necessary.

For records, it requires accurate completion at the time of the activity and controls for legibility, identification, retrieval, protection and retention. Retention periods are linked to applicable legal, customer and product requirements, including shelf-life considerations where relevant.

This gives the wider FSQMS a controlled information base: current documents support consistent execution, while reliable records preserve the evidence needed to demonstrate what was done.

Responsibility for controlling and using documented information

The policy defines responsibility at the points where documented information is resourced, controlled and used. Senior management provides the resources needed for effective document and record control and supports a culture of accurate record completion and document discipline.

Managers and supervisors are responsible for implementing controlled documents within their areas, ensuring records are completed and retained correctly, and addressing deficiencies. Employees are required to use the current authorised documents relevant to their work, complete records accurately and protect information from loss, damage or unauthorised use.

That allocation links governance with day-to-day use, helping the organisation maintain control across functions, shifts and activities rather than treating document and record management as an administrative task alone.

Evidence and organisational continuity across the FSQMS

Authorised and accessible documents support communication, training and consistent application of the management system. Accurate records preserve the evidence needed to verify controls, review performance, investigate problems and support due diligence and regulatory compliance.

The policy also protects organisational continuity by keeping requirements, completed activities and decisions available for later review. Supporting procedures for document control, record completion, maintenance, retention and disposal provide the operational mechanisms beneath that governance.

An information-control policy within the interconnected Suite

Document and record controls underpin every other policy and procedure in the Food Industry Hub FSQMS Policies and Procedures Suite. The document framework keeps requirements authorised and current; the records framework preserves evidence from monitoring, verification, audits, training, supplier management, incidents and improvement activity.

For a manufacturer reviewing the strength of its documented FSQMS, that relationship provides a clear way to assess how instructions, responsibilities, evidence and review are connected across the wider management system.