The FDA requires keeping them for at least 2 years after they are created (21 CFR 117.315). Records showing that equipment or a process is adequate, such as validations, are kept 2 years after you stop using that equipment or process.
Records may be stored offsite if they can be provided within 24 hours of an FDA request, except the food safety plan, which must stay onsite; an electronic record counts as onsite if it can be opened from the plant. SQF asks you to keep them at least for the product's shelf life, or longer if customers or the law require it.
Official sources
Sources verified on November 7, 2026.
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