Verification - confirming the system is doing its job
Plain-language summary
Check, by methods other than routine monitoring, that your PRPs and hazard control plan are implemented and effective (HACCP principle 6).
What the clause is really asking
Monitoring tells you a control is in spec right now; verification asks the bigger question - is the whole system actually working. This clause requires verification activities like reviewing monitoring records, testing product and environment, internal checks and finished-product results, plus analysing the verification results together to confirm overall performance and feed improvement.
What auditors look for
Auditors look at your verification schedule and results - record reviews signed off by someone other than the monitor, micro and environmental testing trends, calibration confirmations. They check that verification findings are analysed collectively and that adverse results trigger action.
Typical evidence
Verification schedule and procedures; record-review sign-offs; product and environmental test results; analysis of verification results; resulting actions
How to comply — recommendations
Build a verification programme separate from day-to-day monitoring - independent record review, product and environmental testing, system checks - and define who does each and how often. Analyse the results together to spot trends, not just pass/fail individual tests. Make sure adverse verification results lead to corrective action and feed management review.
Common nonconformities
Monitoring records never independently reviewed; environmental monitoring weak or trends ignored; verification results not analysed as a whole
Related clauses
ISO 22000 8.5.4, 9.1, 9.3; Codex HACCP principle 6
Qlause provides interpretive guidance only and is not a substitute for the standard. Refer to your licensed copy of the relevant standard for the authoritative text.