The Global Standard British Retail Consortium (BRC) was created in 1998 by British retailers to strengthen food safety standards for private label products following the BSE crisis. It has five key requirements: senior management commitment, food safety plans, auditing, corrective actions, and traceability. Audits evaluate compliance and are conducted annually, resulting in one of four grades. Audit reports detail food safety controls and non-conformities, and certification provides credibility for over 14,000 suppliers across 100 countries.
1. Global Standard British Retail
Consortium (BRC)
Tuesday, 4th October 2011
By,
Gabriel MAROT, Naim KHALID, Pragash RAMADOSS
1
2. Contents
1. History
2. Objectives; reasons for setting up
3. Fundamental requirements
4. Focus on five requirements
5. Audit practice
1. certification
2. Grading
3. Report
4. Enrolement
2
3. 1. History of BRC
Created in 1998 by several British retailers
So as to strengthen food safety in companies producing
private labels
The key element for this creation is the English crisis: BSE:
loss of confidence in the law
This standard is compulsory for companies who produce
English private labels products
3
4. 2. Objectives of BRC
1. Confidence
14000 CERTIFIED SUPPLIERS
90 BRC RERTIFICATION BODIES
USED OVER 100 COUNTRIES
1. Collaboration and continuous improvement – data on internet
2. Credibility- GFSI
3. Consistency – training for certification
4. Compétence – monitoring tools
5. Cost effective – less cost, no hidden costs
4
5. 3. Fundamental requirenments
1. Senior management commitment and continual improvement,
Clause 1.1
2. The food safety plan – HACCP, Clause 2
3. Internal audits, Clause 3.4
4. Corrective action, Clause 3.7
5. Traceability, Clause 3.9
6. Layout, product flow and segregation, Clause 4.3
7. Housekeeping and hygiene, Clause 4.11
8. Management of allergens, Clause 5.2
9. Control of operations, Clause 6.1
10. Training, Clause 7.1.
5
10. 5. BRC Audit
Company chose itself a certification body accredited
Duration: 2 days / Cost: 3000€ / once a year
4 types of Non conformities:
Fundamental
Critical
Major
Minor
Grading system so as to be certified
10
13. Audit report
It is written – any lanugaue
The audit report must assist the reader to be informed of:
1. the food safety controls in place and improvements since the last audit
2. ‘best practice’ systems, procedures, equipment or fabrication in place
3. non-conformities, the corrective action taken and plans to correct the root
cause
Reports shall be prepared and dispatched to the company within 42
Later on uploading on internet BRC website
Audit report shall be kept for five years by the Certification Body.
13
