Paper, checklist apps, QMS suites or an FSMS? An honest comparison.
Four ways to run food safety records, compared on what an auditor samples and what it costs you to keep up.
For a food business working towards HACCP, FSSC 22000, BRCGS or GLOBALG.A.P. certification, a food safety management system with the scheme pre-loaded usually beats paper, generic checklist apps and large quality suites on audit evidence and upkeep. Paper is cheap to start and expensive to maintain, checklist apps capture checks but not the system behind them, and large suites cost more to set up than most sites need. This comparison is by category, as at September 2026.
| What the auditor and your budget care about | Paper and Excel | Generic checklist apps | Large QMS suites | ASCloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheme requirement sets pre-loaded (FSSC 22000, BRCGS, GLOBALG.A.P., HACCP) | No | No, generic templates | Often, as a configuration project | Yes |
| R638, CoA and SANS 10330 content | You write it | No | Rarely | Yes |
| Missed-task triggers and escalation | No | Basic reminders | Yes | Yes, on every plan |
| Named-user sign-off with time stamp | Signature, no time proof | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Document control and version history | Manual | Limited | Yes | Yes |
| Scheme updates | You rewrite | No | Often a paid project | Included for the standards on your plan |
| Setup by a food safety specialist | No | Self-setup | Implementation partner, quoted | Yes, in the setup fee |
| Published prices | Printing and filing time | Usually, in dollars or euros | Rarely | Yes, in rand, shown in your currency |
| Apps for iPhone and Android | No | Yes | Varies | Yes, plus the web application |
Category comparison, not a review of any named product. Check any vendor you are considering against its own website.
Weighing an international platform? See ASCloud versus the international platforms
Questions we get asked
Is paper cheaper than food safety software?
Only if you count the paper and not the time. Printing, filing, finding and rewriting records usually costs a site more each year than a subscription, before counting the cost of one lost record at an audit. The calculator on the why paperless page works it out with your own numbers.
What is wrong with a generic checklist app?
Nothing, for simple checks. The gap shows at certification: a generic app does not hold your scheme's requirement set, your HACCP plan, document control or management review, and it does not update when the standard changes.
When does a large QMS suite make sense?
For large multinational groups with a dedicated systems team, a big enterprise quality suite can make sense. For most food businesses in Africa, it is more software, more cost and more setup than the audit needs.
Compare it on your own records.
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Reviewed by Mthokozisi Nkosi, FSSC 22000 and BRCGS Lead Auditor and founder of ASC Food Safety Consultants. Updated 3 October 2026.
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