BRC Global Standard for Food Safety – Issue 6

This Standard sets out the requirements for manufacturers of food and ingredients to produce safely and consistently, in line with best practice and their customer’s specifications.

The Standard was first produced in 1998 and has developed and evolved with input from a wide base of international stakeholders including retailers, caterers, food manufacturers and Certification Bodies, under the management of the BRC.

The Standard is based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), supported by a documented quality management system. It requires a risk based approach to food safety management and includes prescriptive requirements based on established industry best practice.

As the first of the Standards to be Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) recognized, it is used as a basis for ensuring supplier assurance around the world, with over 14,000 certificated sites across over 100 countries.

Issue 6 provides a range of audit options including announced and unannounced audit protocols to satisfy customer demands and enable sites to be certificated using a process which best suits their operation. The new enrolment program provides an entry for sites developing their food safety systems.

What does it cover?

The Standard is divided into seven sections:

• Management Commitment
• The Food Safety Plan – HACCP
• Food Safety and Quality Management Systems
• Site Standards
• Product Control
• Process Control
• Personnel

BRC Global Standard for Food Safety – Issue 6 translations in: American English, Chinese (Simplified), Czech, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian, Spanish and Swedish.

Benefits of Certification

• Recognized by customers around the world, giving confidence in a company’s food safety management – it helps to open doors
• BRC certificates and reports are accepted by many customers in place of their own audits – reducing multiple audits
• Certificated sites may appear on the BRC public directory allowing customer recognition of their achievements and the use of a logo for marketing purposes
• It addresses part of the legislative requirements of both the certificated company and their customers
• Encourages continuous improvement – and where effectively implemented facilitates a reduction in complaints, waste and product withdrawals

BRC – Frequently Asked Questions:

What is involved in the certification process?

BRC certification requires a combined on-site document review and facility inspection conducted in the same visit. Audit duration for the average supplier typically requires two days for the onsite visit and an additional 1/2 to 1 day for off-site report writing and corrective action management. Total audit time is determined based on employee count, number of HACCP studies, complexity of processes, and facility square footage.

How long is the certification valid and how often will we be audited?

Audit results are graded based on the type and number of nonconformities cited. A company who achieves either an A or B grade must undergo annual audits of their system to maintain certified status. A company who achieves the minimum passing grade of a C must undergo a six month audit frequency until a higher grade is achieved. Future audits are conducted within the 28 day window prior to the six month or 12 month due date, which is based on the initial certification audit date.

How do we get started?

We highly recommend that you initiate a relationship with your certification body prior to completing the implementation of your system. This will help you plan for the certification process in terms of budgeting and scheduling. As part of the planning process, we also highly recommend a pre-assessment, both to assess your preparedness and to increase your overall chances of passing your initial certification audit the first time.

For additional information please check out these downloads:
BRC Top 10 Nonconformances and A Guide to the Key Changes Issue 5 to Issue 6