# FS012 internal audit case study

## Scenario

Riverbend Meals prepares chilled ready-to-eat meals for a small care service. The audit scope includes receiving, cold storage, preparation, allergen controls, cleaning and dispatch.

You review the receiving records, observe part of meal assembly, and interview a team member. You find:

- one chilled delivery record is complete, but the delivery temperature is outside the business's documented acceptance range and there is no disposition entry;
- the current allergen matrix is dated, but a recipe substitution is not reflected in it;
- the team member can describe the cleaning process but does not know where the completed cleaning record is filed; and
- a dispatch label does not clearly identify which meal is intended for a resident with a documented texture requirement.

## Learner workbook

Use the FS012 templates to:

1. Draft a focused audit plan that identifies scope, criteria, sampling and interviewees.
2. Record evidence with traceable references, keeping observations separate from assumptions.
3. Write clear findings that state the requirement and the evidence gap.
4. Identify immediate containment steps that should be discussed with the responsible manager.
5. Propose a corrective-action follow-up and explain what evidence would demonstrate effectiveness.

## Review prompts

- Which items require immediate risk escalation rather than routine reporting?
- What additional evidence would help distinguish a one-off record error from a control-system failure?
- How can an auditor report a finding without recommending a specific solution or overstating the evidence?

This fictional scenario is for learning. It is not an independent certification audit or a substitute for advice from the relevant food authority.