BRC 9 aims to promote best practice and ensure that organisations are working to strong, consistent standards. BRCGS (formerly known as BRC) first published its Global Standard for Food Safety in 1998. This part of the process establishes and provides maintenance for safe process controls, weight/volume control and equipment calibration and ensures the documented HACCP plan is put into practice. For a company to adhere to regulations regarding food safety, the management must first take the responsibility of instilling these best practices throughout the company. In the past twenty years, the Standard is now in its seventh issue and has earned global recognition as a reliable and efficient authority on food safety.

  1. It was developed by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and is used by food manufacturers, retailers, and certification bodies around the world.
  2. Learn about the scope, requirements of the standard, as well as the auditor’s perspective by attending training in a format that suits you and your team.
  3. Having BRCGS certification will give you increased confidence in your product and will help open up new market opportunities.
  4. The auditor will choose an ingredient and ask you to show where it has been used in production.
  5. 1 – Senior management commitment and continual improvementYour senior managers must commit to implementing and continually improving your organisation’s food safety processes.

If all ingredients haven’t been used, you must provide explanation that proves you understand the nature of the variance. For example, if your facility uses sugar in a finished product, you must be able to say the balance hasn’t yet been used and is stored in a particular area of the facility. A BRC audit involves many steps that encompass your entire production process, but preparing ahead of time will help you know what to expect and be ready for a successful audit.

BRCGS Resources

Additionally, BRC certification is often a requirement for doing business with certain retailers and distributors. It can also help manufacturers identify areas for improvement in their food safety management system and make necessary changes to prevent issues from occurring in the future. Finally, BRC certification can help manufacturers stay up-to-date with the latest industry standards and best practices, ensuring they remain competitive in the marketplace. About 23,000 companies follow the BRC global standard for food safety because it is the international model for food safety management systems.

In conclusion, BRC certification can help you ensure the safety and quality of your products, build trust with your customers, and expand your business. It provides a comprehensive framework for managing food safety risks and meeting the requirements of customers and regulatory bodies. By obtaining BRC certification, you can take your business to the next level and compete in the global marketplace. While the certification process can be challenging and costly, it’s worth considering for the long-term success of your food business.

Leading the way in food safety

The auditor will walk through your facility to evaluate any discrepancies between your documented processes and daily operations. It’s a good idea to have a senior staff member available to explain their areas of expertise to the auditor to aid in understanding. Over 16,000 facilities worldwide are certified by the BRC Global Standard for Food Safety. Your organization will then need to have regular audits by the Certification Body to maintain registration. BRC certification can also help you meet the requirements of regulatory bodies in different countries. For example, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recognizes BRC Global Standards as a benchmark for food safety, and certification can help you comply with US regulations.

What Are The Global Standard Requirements?

Part of the traceability audit includes the auditor checking the quantity of incoming raw materials to the quantity used in your finished products, known as a “mass balance”. The auditor will choose an ingredient and ask you to show where it has been used in production. You must be able to account for where all ingredients fxcm review of the chosen batch number have been used. The auditor will inspect some production equipment and observe cleaning practices to determine if they are consistent with documented procedures. They may request that the equipment be disassembled so they can observe more closely and possibly ask for swab results.

The first step in the process is to determine which BRC standard is appropriate for your business. Once you have chosen the relevant standard, you must implement the standard’s requirements in your industry. This may involve making changes to your processes and procedures and training your staff on the new requirements. 3 – Food safety and quality management systemYou should implement a system that enables you to produce safe products, meet customers’ expectations and ensure staff are well trained. Many of our customers work towards BRC standards and they often ask us about industry guidance. But what actually is the BRC, what do they do, and should your business be getting involved?

The Global Standard for Food Safety

Impartiality means acting fairly and equitably in its dealings with people and in all business operations. Complying with the latest BRC standards means adhering to all the requirements https://forex-review.net/ demanded and maintaining quality products that promote food safety. Being BRC certified gives customers confidence that the product is sound and can be trusted.

6 – Process controlYou must implement your HACCP plan from day to day and have effective procedures in place for ensuring you manufacture your products to the correct quality. The BRC Global Standard puts emphasis on a few key elements when it comes to food safety management. The BRCGS was the first standard to be benchmarked by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) in its work to create standards in food safety around the world. Issue 8 of the BRC standards now requires routine inspections with all their products, maintaining a balanced quality and checking for any noticeable imperfections.

However, if any non-conformities are identified during the audit, the manufacturer will need to address these issues and undergo a re-audit before certification can be awarded. BRC certification must be renewed annually, and manufacturers must undergo regular audits to maintain their certification. However, many food manufacturers don’t need to have this level of certification. Usually, certification is led by the customers you have, and whether they request for you to have this standard. Many small or medium enterprises (SMEs) will start with a SALSA (Safe and Local Supplier Approval) food safety certification scheme, as it is more manageable yet still demonstrates a commitment to maintaining standards. In this scheme, food businesses are certificated upon completion of a satisfactory audit done by an accredited third party.

The auditor will evaluate your production processes to identify whether they comply with current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs). They will focus on all areas of your organization that are pertinent to the BRC Global Standard, such as manufacturing, storage, production equipment, and site safety. While it can be stressful, preparing your team beforehand with a pre-assessment audit will help ensure your organization is ready to meet the requirements for a successful audit. The process of earning a food safety certificate and getting the benefits of BRCGS certification is a straightforward one. However, you need to find a BRCGS registered Certification Body to successfully perform a BRC audit and earn your certification.

The certification requires annual renewal, so you must be willing to commit to continual development of your food safety system, and arrange a new audit before the certification expires. The BRCGS offer additional products and services through their bookshop, and through running events and conferences. They also run the BRCGS Academy which ensures auditors, certification bodies, sites and manufacturers can implement the standards correctly and uniformly around the world. In February 2019, BRCGS unveiled a new identity as Brand Reputation through Compliance of Global Standards, as well as a new logo. This reflects how the BRCGS has evolved over the years and how it seeks to help manufacturers, brand owners and retailers maintain faith in their products.

Following the audit, you may need to carry out corrective actions, with relevant root cause analyses, and plan preventive actions. The certification body will provide the audit report and confirm whether the certification has been achieved. When you achieve certification, it will be uploaded onto the BRCGS Directory and you will gain access to content in BRCGS Participate and BRCGS Professional.

BRC Certification is a Worthwhile Investment

The certification process at Quality Smart Solutions is designed to help companies comply with the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and the Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) requirements. This section is intended to apply the requirements for the management of food safety and quality for product specifications, supplier approval, traceability, etc. Briefly, you will need to read the standard relevant to your business, and you may need to attend a BRCGS Product Safety Management training course. You will need to run a gap analysis on your business and create your team to deliver the standards required. Once you are happy your site can meet and maintain the BRCGS requirements (you can test this by carrying out internal audits), you are ready to choose a suitable certification body who will then come and audit the site.

One such enhancement is the introduction of a requirement for individuals or teams responsible for vulnerability assessments to possess knowledge of the underlying principles. Meeting this requirement might involve providing training on vulnerability assessment methods. With a better understanding of vulnerability assessments, organizations can take proactive measures to safeguard their products from counterfeit or fraudulent activities. 1 – Senior management commitment and continual improvementYour senior managers must commit to implementing and continually improving your organisation’s food safety processes. However, you do need to know, understand and implement the standards, and pass the audit in order to gain certification. There are many different service providers and consultants who can help you achieve this and costs will vary depending on your needs.