The British retail consortium (BRC) standards

A worldwide Standard of choice

WWW.BRCGLOBALSTANDARDS.COM

BY
Eng. khaled Qaddoura
Food safety Experts
 What is the BRC?
 BRC is an international Food Safety Management
Systems standard, leading Trade Association
representing UK and International Retailers
 It is one of the GFSI recognized certification
schemes
 GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative) :This forum is
a global food network made up of approximately
400 retailers and manufacturers worldwide.
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 GFSI does not certify organizations, but has
determined which food safety certifications it
accepts or recognizes. These are called GFSI
Benchmarked Standards.
 Which standards are recognized by
GFSI?

• FSSC 22000
• SQF Code Edition 8
• BRC Global Standard for Food Safety
• BRC-IOP Global Standard for Packaging and Packaging
Materials
• IFS Version 6
• Canada GAP
• Global Red Meat Standard (GRMS)
• Primus GFS Standard
• IFS PAC secure Version 1
• IFS Logistics Version 2.1
 Objectives of BRC
 Confidence
 14000 CERTIFIED SUPPLIERS
 90 BRC CERTIFICATION BODIES
 USED OVER 100 COUNTRIES
 Collaboration and continuous
improvement – data on internet
 Credibility- GFSI
 Consistency – training for certification
 Competence – monitoring tools
 Cost effective – less cost, no hidden costs
• 4
 What is the BRC Global Standard
scheme?
A market leading, third party
certification scheme that specifies
safety and quality criteria for:
• Food
• Packaging
• Consumer products
• Storage & distribution
Certification process: third party
certification
 BRC Global Standards

Storage and
Food Consumer Packaging Storage &
Distribution
Products Distribution

www.brcbookshop.com
BRC Global Standard for Consumer
Products
• Consumer Products divided into two separate
Standards
• Global Standard for Consumer Products –
General Merchandise
• Global Standard for Consumer Products –
Personal Care and Household
 BRC Global Standard for
Packaging and Packaging
Materials, Issue 5 JULY 2015
• The BRC Global Standard is
divided into eight
manufacturing
technologies:
• Glass manufacture and
forming
• Papermaking and
conversion
• Metal forming
• Rigid plastics forming
• Flexible plastics
manufacture
• Other manufacturing
• Print processes
• Chemical processes
P547: Hygiene category
determination decision tree
 The BRC Global Standard for
Storage and Distribution.
• If the repacking operation
involves open food products
then the answer is no. Where
open food products are
processed, including packing,
then the
BRC Global Standard for Fo
od Safety
should be used instead.
The BRC Global Standard for
Food Safety
 OVERVIEW
• Developed by food industry experts from
retailers, manufacturers and food service
organizations to manage product safety, integrity,
legality and quality, in the food and food ingredient
manufacturing, processing and packing industry.

• First published in 1998, the Standard is now in

its eighth issue with input from many leading global
specifiers.
 The BRC Global Standard for
Food Safety focuses on:
Encouraging development of product safety culture;
expanding the requirements for environmental monitoring
to reflect the increasing importance of this technique;
Encouraging sites to further develop systems for security
and food defense;
Adding clarity to the requirements for high-risk, high-care
and ambient high-care production risk zones;
Providing greater clarity for sites manufacturing pet food;
and
Ensuring global applicability and bench-marking to the
Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI).
The BRC Global Standard
for Food Safety is divided
into nine sections:
1. SENIOR MANAGEMENT COMMITMENT

Commitment at a senior level to ensure the full

application and continual development of Food Safety
systems n site.

2. THE FOOD SAFETY PLAN - HACCP

The BRC Global Standard requires the development of an

effective hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP
) programme based on the requirements of the
internationally recognised Codex Alimentarius system.
 FOOD SAFETY HAZARDS;
POTENTIAL CONTAMINATION / DAMAGE
ANALYSIS

BIOLOGICAL CHEMCIAL PHYSICAL

RAW STORAGE PREPARATION

MATERIAL

DISTRIBUTION PACKAGING PROCESSING

3. FOOD SAFETY AND QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

This section ensures the company works to well-documented,

systematic management systems that form the basis for the product
and process controls necessary to produce safe products,
meet customer expectations and ensure staff are trained.
4. SITE STANDARDS

This covers the suitability, cleanliness and control of the site and
includes topics such as factory conditions, cleaning, equipment,
pest control, foreign body controls and food defence/site
security.
5. PRODUCT CONTROL

Establishing product controls such as allergen management, the

prevention of food fraud and product testing are important in
the reliable delivery of safe, authentic products.
6. PROCESS CONTROL

These requirements ensure that the documented HACCP plan is

put into operation on a daily basis, together with effective
procedures to consistently manufacture the product to the correct
quality.
7. PERSONNEL

Training, protective clothing and hygiene practices are covered

in this section.

8. HIGH-RISK, HIGH-CARE AND AMBIENT HIGH-CARE

PRODUCTION RISK ZONES

A specific section of the Standard dealing with products that are

susceptible to potential pathogen contamination and
therefore need additional controls to ensure product safety.
9. REQUIREMENTS FOR TRADED
PRODUCTS

A voluntary additional section of the Standard

for sites that purchase and sell food products
that would normally fall within the scope of the
Standard and are stored at the site’s facilities,
but which are not manufactured, further
processed or packed at the site being audited.
BRC Global Standard for Food Safety
against
ISO22000 & IFS as a basis for
continual improvement
Food Safety Progression
Be
st
BRC Pr
ac
tic
QMS
es
GFSI
FSMS

HACCP

Prerequisites

Basic GMP’s

BRC Global Standards. Trust in Quality.

A Comparison with BRC Standards

- A good Standard with

What about …… ISO 22000
good principles but :-

• Less prescriptive – more room for error and

interpretation providing issues of consistency.
• No single defined reporting format
• Looser requirements on auditor competency
• Intermediate surveillance audits
• No central management by standard owner.
• Long review process – less responsive to change?
• Not currently recognised by retailers or GFSI.
A Comparison with BRC Standards

What about …… IFS

• Preferred audit standard with French and
German retailers
• Very similar standard to BRC in terms of audit
requirements.
• Recognised by GFSI
But ……..
• Not widely recognised in the UK
• Certificates issued based on corrective action
plans rather than evidence does not give same
level of due diligence
The Certification Process

6 steps to
certification
Certification Process

• Obtain the requirements

• Gap assessment
• Implementation
• Training 6 to 18 months

• Certification
• Maintenance

BRC Global Standards. Trust in Quality.

26
Focus Areas

• Site Standard.
• Supplier and raw material controls
• Product & process control
• Housekeeping and hygiene
• Allergen management
• Storage.

BRC Global Standards. Trust in Quality.

B R C G lo ba l Sta n d a r d s
4 t h Floor, 2 L o n d o n B r i d g e
L o n d o n SE1 9 R A
+ 4 4 ( 0 ) 2 0 7854 8 9 0 0
www.brcg loba lsta nd a rds .co
m

GET
STARTED

COULD BRC
CERTIFICATION OR A
GLOBAL MARKETS
PROGRAMME BE RIGHT FOR
YOU?

To learn more about the B RC Global Standards

certification programme please vi sit
WWW A S A A S
To learn more about the B RC Global Standards
online subscription service please visi t
WWW A
To purchase printed copies or P D F s from i ts full
range of B RC Global Standards publications please
visit
WWW S
GETTING STARTED Download or purchase a printed copy or PREPARE auditor may identify items that don’t
PDF of the relevant Standard or Global Your BRC audit will be carried out by a reach the requirements of the Standard.
If you think BRC certification or a Global
Markets programme from the BRC highly trained BRC registered auditor These are known as non-conformities
Markets programme, where applicable,
Bookshop. PDF copies of the Standard working for a BRC approved certification and all
may be for you please follow these
and Global Markets programme are body (CB) who will be experienced in the non-conformities must be “closed out”,
initial steps to start you on your
available to download free of charge and product sector as defined in the audit or fully addressed, before certification
journey towards certification.
meet the requirements set out in each scope. BRC Directory (add link). The CB can be granted.
LEARN Standard to have a copy available on
site.
you choose will depend on the services
MAINTAIN
Select the Standard (or BRC Global the site requires, the scope of your
Markets programme) relevant to the Consider a subscription to BRC site’s activities and whether the
activities you carry out. Table 1 Participate, an innovative and powerful certification body can meet your MAINTAINING
online management system that gives requirements, for example, whether it
summarises the scope of each
Standard. you immediate access to all the operates in your country and in a THE STANDARD
documents relevant to a particular language that’s appropriate to your site. Your goal isn't to simply
Sta n d a rd Scope of the Some CBs are also able to o " e r optional achieve
Standard Standard such as interpretation
guidelines, and topic specific guidelines. pre-audit assessments. certification against the Standard, but
F o o d Safety* Manufacture, to ensure an ongoing culture of
processing
or packing of foods Train with the BRC or one of our global
PLAN quality, product safety and legality is
Once you’ve selected your certification established and maintained within the
and ingredients. approved training partners (ATPs). Each
body you will need to set a date for the organisation. This will ensure you
of our practical training courses have continue to meet the requirements of
Pa c k a g i n g a n d Manufacture of all audit to take place. For initial audits,
been developed to help you implement the Standard.
types Pa c k a g i n g of packaging and where no BRC audits have previously
the Standard. To find out more, visit the Keep up to date with changes in the
Materials* packaging taken place, it’s recommended to have 3
BRC Training Academy. Standard via the website and BRC
materials for months of documents and records in
newsletter. And remember to
REVIEW
all uses. place at the time of the audit to ensure
that there is su‰cient evidence of communicate the success of your
St o ra g e a n d For companies Read the requirements in the Standard certification to sta", stakeholders, and
providing e"ective systems in place for the
of customers by displaying your BRC logo
Distr ibuti on storage and/or auditor to examine.
Global Markets programme applicable to on all your marketing collateral
distribution of Ensure that the relevant personnel are
your activities, and the audit protocol including your stationery and website.
pre- packaged available for the audit. There needs to
you’ll be complying with.
products. be representation from the senior

Consumer Applicable to
You will need to conduct a gap analysis management team, the hazard and risk CONTINUOUS
or self-audit. This will give you an management or HACCP team, and
Products manufacturing, understanding of the current situation access to other functions such as
assembly
and contract
and will identify which areas need human resources at times during the IMPROVEME
improvement. This may, for example, audit.
packing of all relate to the structure of buildings, NT
consumer products. equipment requirements, the design of AUDIT AND The BRC schemes
processes or the documentation and include opportunities
Agents and
manufacturing B ro kers
For non-
implementation of procedures. CERTIFICATION for sites to incorporate more aspects of
traders in the food and packaging The exact order of activities during their operations, where applicable.
industries ie your Some of the Standards have Additional
Once you have looked at the gaps audit will vary, but your audit will
for companies that Modules which can be implemented as
between the requirements needed to include:
do not manufacture, the site matures in its use of the
meet the Standard and your current •Opening meeting
process or pack Standards. Some Modules expand upon
practices, the management team will •Desktop review of documents
products or the scope of the audit, whereas some
need to put a plan in place to address •Traceability challenge
ingredients and do Modules address other elements, such
these gaps. •Inspection of buildings and physical
not own storage or as environmental management
distribution Related links: Download the areas having an impact on product systems, or food safety culture.
facilities. self-assessment tools from the BRC safety, quality and legality, including
Global Standards website [each good manufacturing practice (GMP)
Reta il For those involved Standard page where self-assessment activities (where production, storage or
in the retail grocery
Table 1. Summary of Standard scopes (*designates tool is]. retailing areas are in the scope of the
segment,
a Global Markets programme i s available)of all audit)
categories, and is • Final review of findings
designed to cover • Closing meeting
both head o‰ce and
 BRC
Documents
BRC Policy
manual

Procedures manual

Work instruction/SOPs

Records

Marketing Purchasing Stores Production Q.A. Despatch Admin

 What does the BRC standard require?
 Management Commitment
Prerequisite programs
 HACCP
 Food Safety and Quality Manual
 Document Control
 Records
 Internal Audits
 Supplier Approval
 Specifications
 Corrective Actions
 Control of Nonconforming
Product
 Traceability
 Complaint Handling
 Management of Incidents
 Site Standards
 Product Design and Development
 Management of Allergens
 Provenance, Assured Status and
Identity Preserved
 Materials Packaging
 Product Inspection and Testing
 Product Release
 Control of Operations
 Calibration and Control of
Measuring and Monitoring
Devices
 Training
 Personal Hygiene
 Medical Screening
 Protective Clothing
 SUMMARY

 BRC GLOBAL STANDARD IS A SYSTEMATIC

APPROACH
 ANALYZE HAZARDS
 DETERMINE CRITICAL POINTS
 DETERMINE CONTROL PROCEDURE

 FOCUSES RESOURCES ON PROBLEM AREAS

 INDUSTRY INPUT IS ESSENTIAL

 TRAINING IS ESSENTIAL
 EXPANDED USE OF HACCP IN FOOD INDUSTRY
 GOOD HYGENIE PRACTICES IS REQUIRED
 THANK YOU

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