Quality Associates

BRC-Global Standard for Food Safety

BRC - Overview

The BRC (British Retail Consortium) Global Standard for Food Safety was created to ensure supplier compliance and secure retailers’ ability to guarantee the quality and safety of the food products they sell. BRC is used as a framework for any business including retailers and processors to assist the production of safe food and selection of reliable suppliers. BRC Global Standard for Food Safety meets the criteria of the Global Food Safety Initiative by The Consumer Goods Forum, which was created by the merger of CIES, the pre-eminent food and consumer goods industry body, with the Global CEO Forum and the Global Commerce Initiative (GCI), two global retailer and manufacturer collaborative platforms. Means BRC is now accepted by the majority of food retailers and manufacturers as equivalent to the other benchmarked food safety standards, such as IFS, SQF and FSSC 22000.

BRC-Benefits

There are numerous benefits of implementing BRC standard. These include:

Improved national and global reputation
Improved utilization of resources worldwide
Potential increased economic growth
Provide evidence of commitment, and, in case of food safety incident, legal defense
Facilitate reductions in product waste, product reworking, and product recall.

BRC- how to achieve

When the management decided that BRC is right for your company. Companies that plan well will often have an advantage and be better prepared for certification. It is important that you and your company are positive, committed, and set clear target dates for implementation and assessment. This includes: Establishing a quality management system, Identifying legal requirements, Identifying and documenting the specific food safety hazards and the relevant control measures (HACCP system), Identifying the applicable Good Manufacturing Practice/Good Hygiene Practice, including a pest control program, equipment and building maintenance program, housekeeping and cleaning program, and all the specific standard requirements, and, Implement any needed structural improvements.