The days of binder logs and handwritten checklists are quickly fading. By 2025, digital recordkeeping has become less of an option and more of an industry expectation. While not every type of record is legally required to be electronic, leading food brands and top suppliers are setting the standard by adopting digital-first systems. For companies looking to stay competitive and compliant, moving away from paper is becoming a best practice as much as a business necessity.

Why Digital Records Are Now Essential
Regulatory Pressure: Under FSMA, the FDA increasingly requests electronic records during inspections, particularly for traceability under FSMA Rule 204 and for reviewing food safety plans.

Operational Advantages:

• Speed: Instant retrieval, time-stamped entries, and faster audit response.
• Accuracy: Automated logging reduces the risk of missing or incorrect entries.
• Remote Oversight: Quality teams can monitor multiple facilities without being onsite.
• Sustainability Bonus: Digital systems reduce paper usage, helping facilities cut costs and improve environmental impact—an added benefit that also aligns with many companies’ ESG goals.

For regulators and customers alike, digital recordkeeping signals both transparency and maturity in food safety management.

What Records Should Be Digital
Although paper logs remain legally acceptable for some operations, most businesses are moving to digital platforms for all critical food safety documentation. Common categories include:

• HACCP logs (for USDA-regulated plants) or food safety plan records under FSMA (for FDA-regulated plants)
• Sanitation and preventive maintenance records
• Receiving and shipping logs
• Traceability documentation (required in digital format under FSMA Rule 204)
• Training records
• Supplier documentation and certificates of analysis (COAs)

By centralizing these records electronically, facilities ensure consistency, audit-readiness, and the ability to share data across teams and locations.

Legal Requirements
The FDA does not mandate the use of any specific software. However, when using electronic systems, records must be:

• Legible and readily retrievable in formats FDA can use (for FSMA 204, XML or CSV is specified)
• Protected against tampering, with secure controls for entries
• Available upon request within 24 hours of an FDA inquiry

While audit trails and advanced access controls are not always explicitly mandated, they are increasingly expected by both regulators and certification bodies.

How to Stay Ahead
Companies can future-proof their operations by:

• Adopting cloud-based recordkeeping platforms that allow centralized access
• Automating data collection with IoT sensors and smart devices
• Training staff to correctly enter, retrieve, and verify digital records
• Running mock audits to confirm that records are complete, accurate, and retrievable

Tools like IQOps https://www.iqops.ai provide full compliance and recordkeeping solutions, integrating HACCP, sanitation, CCP, and supplier logs into one platform.
Final Thoughts
Digital recordkeeping may not yet be universally mandated, but in 2025 it is undeniably the standard that regulators, auditors, and customers expect. By adopting smart, centralized platforms, food businesses can improve accuracy, save time, reduce their paper footprint, and demonstrate their commitment to food safety and compliance.