BRCGS: understand how this standard protects food safety

The BRCGS Food Safety Standard (also called BRC Food Safety) is the leading GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative) certification scheme in the UK. Many retailers in the region look for level-one suppliers that have this certificate, as this way they have greater assurance of the quality of the origin of the inputs.

The British Retail Consortium Global Standard (BRCGS) first published its Global Food Safety Standard in 1998. Developed to help the food industry comply with UK and European Union food safety laws, it has become an internationally recognized benchmark for best practices in quality, responsibility and food safety.

Keep reading and find out more about how this standard helps protect not only companies, but also consumers, and learn what is required to have BRCGS certification.

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BRCGS: what it is and how it came about

In 1996, it was necessary to respond to the need to standardize food safety in the UK retail sector. Therefore, the originally known as the British Retail Consortium (BRC) was created. This standard was created to help retailers comply with legal obligations for food safety and ensure the quality of the products they sell.

Over time, it evolved and was adopted globally, leading to the creation of BRCGS. This update was developed with input from the industry and is constantly updated to reflect best practices and new regulatory requirements.

Today it is adopted by more than 22 thousand companies, is present in more than 130 countries and has its ninth version. Its current focus is to establish strict requirements to ensure the safety, integrity, legality and quality of food products. In addition, BRCGS also defines some operational controls for the food manufacturing, processing, and packaging industry.

The BRCGS standard is recognized by the GFSI, which makes it an important reference for companies seeking to ensure food safety and meet consumer requirements and international regulations. In this way, they reduce the risks of recalls, contamination, and non-compliance.

In addition, following BRCGS demonstrates to the market (whether suppliers, partners, investors or customers) that the company cares about the well-being of the population and the quality of its products.

Thus, BRCGS helps companies select and qualify their suppliers and provides a framework to manage the safety, integrity, legality and quality of products in the manufacturing, processing and packaging industry of food and food ingredients.

The structure of BRCGS

The structure of the BRCGS standard is made up of several requirements. To make it easier to understand and comply with it, version nine of the standard is divided into four parts: Introduction, Requirements, Audit Protocol, and Management and Governance.

The main characteristics of each are:

• Introduction: Introduces the standard and provides the context of its development, as well as its benefits.

• Requirements: Details the requirements of the standard that a company needs to comply with to achieve certification.

• Audit Protocol: Provides information on the audit process and the rules for granting certification. Details the different audit programs available in the standard.

• Management and Governance: Describe the management and governance systems in place for the standard and for the management of the certification bodies registered to operate it.

As it is in its ninth edition, much of the content of BRCGS is a legacy of past constructions. For you to understand what is new in the standard, check out the focus points of the latest version below:

• Encourage understanding and continuous development of product safety culture;

• Ensure global applicability, compatibility with the Codex General Principles of Food Hygiene, and benchmarking with the requirements of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI);

• Expand audit options to include the use of information and communication technology;

• Update the requirements associated with core product security activities, such as internal audits, root cause analysis, preventive actions, and incident management;

• Provide greater clarity for sites that perform primary conversion of animals and produce animal feed.

The requirements of edition nine represent an evolution compared to previous ones, especially in relation to management’s commitment to a food safety program (based on HACPP) and supporting quality management. With these changes, BRCGS is gradually changing its focus from auditing to the implementation of good manufacturing practices.

The main benefits of the BRCGS standard

It is no wonder that BRCGS is adopted not only by companies in the United Kingdom but all over the world. It helps companies efficiently organize and execute their food safety measures. In addition, it acts as a kind of “seal of trust”, signaling that a company cares about these issues and follows the main market guidelines.

Therefore, by having a BRCGS certification, your company achieves a competitive advantage in the global market. It also helps reduce costs associated with safety incidents, improves internal quality processes, and even helps meet the requirements of large retail chains and distributors with ease.

Other advantages of following the guidelines of the BRCGS standard:

• Have a comprehensive scope, covering product safety, authenticity, legality, and quality.

• Rely on a single standard and protocol that governs audits accredited by third-party certification bodies, enabling an independent and credible assessment of a company’s food safety and quality management systems with ease and confidence.

• Meet “due diligence” requirements, both for the certified food manufacturer and its customers.

• Enable companies to ensure that their suppliers are following good food safety management practices.

• Perform corrective actions, root cause analysis and preventive actions on any non-conformities using BRCGS, and within the site’s product quality and safety management systems. This reduces the need for customers to follow audit reports and demonstrates continuous improvement.

• Adopt an internationally recognized and GFSI-referenced standard that provides a report and certification that can be accepted by clients rather than their own audits, thereby reducing time and cost.

• Be part of the publicly available section of the BRCGS Directory, providing recognition of your achievements, and be able to use the standard logo for marketing purposes.

• Access a comprehensive set of tools designed to drive continuous improvement for free.

• Have a variety of audit options, including announced, unannounced, and mixed audit programs. This helps satisfy customer demands more easily and allows companies to demonstrate compliance through a process that is adaptable to their operation and the maturity of their food safety systems.

How to get BRCGS certified

Even though it is so important and widespread around the world, the BRCGS standard has an extensive, rigorous and in-depth certification process. In fact, that’s precisely why it’s synonymous with effective food safety.

The certification process has a series of requirements that need to be followed to the letter by companies that want to have this seal of quality. Keep reading and understand what these certification criteria are, as well as how this process occurs.

The main requirements

In its ninth version, the standard brings nine categories of requirements:

1. Commitment of senior management; 
2. Food Safety Plan (HACCP); 
3. Food safety and quality management system; 
4. Site rules; 
5. Product control; 
6. Process control; 
7. Staff; 
8. Production risk zones (high risk, high care and high care environment); 
9. Requirements for marketed products.

To achieve BRCGS certification, a company needs to meet the specific characteristics and demands of these stringent requirements. The goal, as you already know, is to ensure food safety and quality.

See more details about each of the requirements to have this certificate in your company.

• Senior Management Commitment: Site senior management must demonstrate that they are fully committed to the implementation of the standard’s requirements and to the processes that facilitate the continuous improvement of food safety, quality management, and the site’s safety and quality culture.

• Food Safety Plan (HACCP): The company should have a fully implemented and effective food safety plan, incorporating the principles of HACCP to identify, assess, and control significant hazards.

• Food Safety and Quality Management System: The company’s processes and procedures must meet BRCGS requirements and be documented to allow for effective and consistent application. This facilitates training and supports due diligence in producing a safe product.

• Site Standards: The production site must be of adequate size, location, and construction, and be maintained to reduce the risk of contamination and facilitate the production of safe and legal items.

• Product Control: To be certified, a company must implement procedures for the design and development of new products or processes and any changes to the product, packaging, or manufacturing processes that ensure they are safe and legal.

• Process Control: The site must operate per process specifications and work instructions/procedures that ensure the manufacture of consistently safe and legal products, with the desired quality characteristics, in full compliance with the HACCP plan.

• Personnel: The company must ensure that all employees who perform work that affects the safety, legality, and quality of the product are proven competent to carry out their activities. To do this, it is necessary to organize training, and have previous work experience or appropriate qualifications.

• Production Risk Zones: It is critical to have safety guidelines regarding storage, equipment, activities, cleaning, and even appropriate uniforms for when a site produces items where the production process, or part of it, requires high-risk, high-care, and/or environmentally friendly production zones.

• Requirements for Marketed Products: Guidelines must also be followed for food products that would normally be within the scope of the standard and are stored on the company’s premises, but that are not manufactured, processed, reworked, packaged, or labeled on site. In addition, when a site wishes to be audited according to section 9 of the BRCGS, all products must be included in the scope of the audit; it is not allowed to include some and exclude others.

To learn more about the BRCGS 9th version standard and each item included in these requirements, you can click here.

The steps to get certified

Once you understand what the main requirements are for obtaining BRCGS certification, it’s time to find out how this process works – and learn tips that help increase your chances of success.

In general, the flow of certification in this standard happens as follows:

1. Initial diagnosis: Your company acquires a copy of the BRCGS standard and studies its compliance requirements. At this point, you also do a self-assessment of the company to identify gaps and areas that need improvement for compliance.
2. Team training: Then comes the time to organize and execute employee training on BRCGS requirements and practices.
3. Implementation of improvements: In addition to ensuring that everyone understands the demands of the standard and makes the necessary adjustments to processes and equipment to meet the necessary criteria.
4. Internal audit: Before doing the certification audit, it is a good practice to perform an internal audit simulation to identify gaps and points for improvement.
5. Certification audit: Finally, undergo the audit conducted by an accredited certifying organization. During this process, it is common to perform corrective actions, root cause analysis, and the planning of preventive actions. At the end of the audit, the certifying body will show the audit report and decide whether your company will receive the certification.

This certification process has several aspects that need to be verified, optimized, or even created from scratch for you to achieve BRCGS compliance. The good news is that there are some tips and good practices that help make everything easier and more organized. The main ones are:

• Perform a detailed mapping of your production and control processes. The more information (and details), the less likely you are to miss any non-conformity.

• Involve senior management from the beginning of the project. This way you ensure that you will have the necessary support to make changes and improvements, even if they involve a lot of work and/or investment (whether time or financial).

• Rely on specialized consulting, if necessary. At this point, the help of a specialist can help you answer questions, optimize processes, and increase your chances of success.

• Invest in a robust management system. Technology is your great ally currently. Therefore, count on a quality management solution. With SoftExpert Suite, for example, you can centralize data and documents safely and quickly.

See also: How to prepare for audits

Maximize the advantages of BRCGS using SoftExpert Suite

Speaking of using technology, with SoftExpert Suite you not only have easier and more efficient when passing an audit but also gain agility and productivity in all aspects of a Quality Management System (QMS).

In the specific case of those who have (or want to have) BRCGS certification, SoftExpert Suite brings a number of benefits. There are so many that we have even prepared a list, check it out below!

1. Centralization of documents and evidence

• The SoftExpert platform allows the storage, organization and control of documents, such as food safety manuals, monitoring records and compliance evidence, among others.

• Sharing documents (SOPs, IT’s, Manuals, etc.) with people who need to have access to the material.

• You can manage the history of reviews and approvals, ensuring that only updated versions are available for audits.

• Create and automate alerts and notifications so you don’t miss deadlines related to material reviews.

2. Management of audits and non-conformities

• You have tools to plan, execute, and monitor internal and external audits, ensuring compliance with BRCGS requirements.

• You can also manage nonconformances with automated workflows for root cause investigation, corrective actions (CAPA), and preventative actions. 

• Visualization of real-time reports that help identify patterns and critical areas for continuous improvement.

3. HACCP Plan Monitoring

• In the system, you have the support to document, monitor and update the HACCP plan according to the requirements of BRCGS.

• It can also identify, analyze and control risks throughout the production chain.

• The tool allows the recording of all actions taken to mitigate risks, keeping evidence available for audits and helping with continuous improvement.

• You can also connect this feature to other system modules to get a consolidated view of risks and controls. This maximizes efficiency and minimizes redundancies.

4. Supplier management

• You have tools for supplier approval and monitoring, ensuring they comply with the safety and quality requirements of the BRCGS standard.

• With SoftExpert Suite, you have full control of your suppliers’ documents, such as certificates of conformity, permits, raw material specifications and performance evaluations.

• It is possible to integrate supplier data with the production chain, reducing the risk of failures or contamination and increasing traceability.

5. Integrated management of regulatory requirements

• The solution already has the support to integrate BRCGS requirements with other relevant industry standards and certifications (e.g., ISO 9001, ISO 14001,  and ISO 45001).

• Thus, it is possible to simplify the management of multiple standards on a single platform, which brings more agility and efficiency to your daily life.

6. Custom indicators and reports

• You can track configurable dashboards to monitor key performance indicators related to food safety.

• It is also possible to generate customized reports to meet the requirements of BRCGS or even internal audits.

• The software allows you to export data in formats such as Excel or PDF, facilitating communication between teams and stakeholders.

7. Continuous capacity building and training

• Use resources to plan and track mandatory training, ensuring that all staff are aligned with BRCGS requirements.

• Recording training evidence for audits can be done quickly and easily.

• You can also create automatic alerts for periodic and/or refresher training and also make these trainings available virtually, in e-learning format.

Free Download: Quality Management Toolkit

Conclusion

Studies show that up to 70% of companies adopting BRCGS feel changes in production methods have led to greater efficiency and productivity. This exemplifies why the standard is so widespread and adopted worldwide.

By following this standard — and, in addition, having a certificate from it — your company has even more tools to ensure the safety of the food produced. The result is clear: the same study by Birkbeck University shows that there is a 40% reduction in food recall in companies that adopt BRCGS.

In other words, if you want to stand out in the market, optimize your operation and convey to consumers that you care about the quality of the food you produce, you should consider a certification of this standard.

In addition, try to rely on a solution such as SoftExpert Suite, which maximizes the benefits of BRCGS and brings even more advantages to your operation. This way you have full traceability of the actions and changes made on the platform, identify deviations even before they become critical problems and, as a result, reduce rework and improve integration between areas.

Looking for more efficiency and compliance in your operations? Our experts can help identify the best strategies for your company with SoftExpert solutions. Contact us today!