BRITISH RETAIL CONSORTIUM (BRC) GLOBAL STANDARD

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) Global Standard for Food Safety is one of the most prominent certification standards and has been adopted by food retailers and food manufacturers all around the world. It is an international Food Safety Management Systems Standard and is one of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) recognized certification schemes. The Standard provides a framework for food manufacturers to assist them in the production of safe food and to manage product quality to meet customers’ requirements. Certification against the Standard is recognized by many retailers, manufacturers and food service companies around the world when assessing the capabilities of their suppliers.

 

The BRC Global Standard for Food Safety was created and has been developed to specify the food safety, quality and operational criteria required to be in place within a food manufacturing organisation to fulfil obligations with regard to legal compliance and protection of the consumer. The Standard has been translated into many languages to facilitate implementation by food businesses across the world and has been adopted by over 20,000 sites in 130 countries.

 

The format and content of the Standard is designed to allow an assessment of a company’s premises, operational systems and procedures by a competent third party – the certification body – against the requirements of the Standard. The main requirements of the standard are the implementation of a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system, a documented food safety quality management system and a control of personnel, standards, products and processes in place.

 

Achieving certification against the BRC Global Standard for Food Safety proves your level of competence in HACCP, food safety, hygiene, personnel and quality systems. At the same time, it demonstrates your commitment to consumer safety and stakeholder relations. Certification will help to satisfy customer expectations by demonstrating the plans, programmes and systems that the standard demands:

 

• A HACCP food safety plan to manage risks by following a step-by-step approach following CODEX Alimentarius guidelines.
• Senior management commitment to provide sufficient resources for achieving the standard.
• A quality management system that details the organisational and managerial policies needed to provide a framework for achieving the standard.
• A series of pre-requisite programmes dealing with the basic environmental and operational conditions needed to produce safe food and controlling the generic hazards covered by good manufacturing and good hygiene practices.

 

Manufacturers that hold a BRC Certification have many foods safety benefits and have been shown to perform better than both non-certified sites, as well as those with other GFSI programmes. A clear point of difference between BRC Global Standard Food Safety and other certification schemes is a compliance programme that provides control over the operational delivery of its certification programmes. This includes delivery partner performance management, and management of auditor competence based on exams and food safety training.

 

Below are some of the key benefits of the BRC Certification:

 

• Increased market access in the global supply chain
• Reduction of food safety and liability risks to your business
• Demonstrated commitment to food safety and quality
• Improve your quality and food safety system
• Streamline relationships with EU retailers
• Achieve operational efficiencies – less waste, more organization, increased profits

 

There are several other types of BRC Global Standards including Packaging Materials, Consumer Products, Agents and Brokers, Storage and Distribution and Retail. The Food Safety Company are privileged to offer businesses the services of our very own BRC certified auditors who have experience across all the BRC Global Standards. Our auditors can work with your food safety staff to guarantee that you are ready to pass the requirements for certification. Manufacturing Standards require monthly internal audits. Our auditors can provide these monthly internal audits which must be conducted by an independent auditor.

 

We can also provide HACCP training from Level 1 to Level 3 to ensure that your staff are compliant with the legislation and have a good knowledge of the food safety management system. We also deliver some higher-level courses which are accredited by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI). These courses include QQI Level 5 Implementing Food Safety Management Systems, QQI Level 6 Conducting Food Standards Auditing, and QQI Level 6 Designing Food Safety Management Systems. These courses are especially beneficial to members of your food safety team and staff in managerial roles. Further information on these courses can be found by clicking on each course.

 

With our wide range of services, we will help you to reach the strategic goals of your company and surpass any regulatory expectations.

Tags: Quality Standard, food safety standard, brc, british retail consortium