BRC - Global Food Safety Standard - Certification

The BRC (British Retail Consortium) Global Standards for food were created to ensure supplier compliance and secure retailers' ability to guarantee the quality and safety of

the food products that they sell.

The Retailers are due to launch ISSUE 5 - the new Global Food Safety Standard

in January 2008, which the food industry are expected to meet and be certified to, from

July 2008.

ISSUE 4 Standard Audits will continue until July 2008.

The new Standard publication follows an extensive benchmarking and consultation process.

Number of Requirements Rise

The new Global Food Safety Standard replaces the 2005 Retailer Global Food standard and the number of requirements that food industry must adhere to rises from 270 to 326.

The food industry will have to review their current practices, structures and competencies as many previous requirements have been expanded and there are many new requirements including risk assessment, site security and staff competence.  The 2005 Standard will be rescinded from July 2008.

Having BRC Certification enables you to provide trust to customers and consumers about the company's capability to manage the food safety related risks.

The Leading Certification Body

IFQC are the leading independent food quality certification body in Ireland. IFQC is involved in product certification across a number of sectors in Ireland and also carries out work on behalf of Bord Bia, Bord Iascaigh Mhara and retail multiples.

IFQC were the first Certification Company in Ireland to gain accreditation to deliver BRC Certification and are recognised by the British Retail Consortium and the leading retailers.

IFQC is based in Dundalk, Co.Louth and operates across the island of Ireland and internationally in Europe, Australia and North America. IFQC is Irish owned and managed. All IFQC auditors are trained BRC Lead Auditors and expert in the areas that they work within.

Certification to the BRC standard changes your company's approach from retroactive quality testing to a preventive way of thinking. It provides a systematic approach covering all aspects of the food chain, from purchasing raw materials to consumer consumption of the end product - including restaurants, catering, storage, and transportation.

The BRC Food Standard is the most frequently used Standard by all stakeholders in the food chain, in order to select and qualify the suppliers. This reduces the overall costs of the process and increases the level of safety for customers, suppliers, and consumers. Regarded as a "ticket to trade", the standard is also an opportunity to demonstrate your company's commitment to food safety, quality, and legality.

The main retailers in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Europe in general are concerned about food safety because of their direct responsibility in case of an incident. To take control of the situation, retailers require that all food suppliers are certified to a specialised standard to ensure that they comply with quality and safety demands, and legal requirements.

The requirements in the retailers' standards are related to the quality management system, the HACCP system and the Factory Environmental Standards, which is a set of GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) and GHP (Good Hygiene Practices) requirements.

IFQC also offers Pre - BRC Audit inspection services.

Why is BRC Certification good for your business?
The most important European retailers and many food processing industries established BRC certification as mandatory requirement to be included in their food and/or ingredients supplier list.

The standards enable your organisation to:

• provide evidence of commitment and, in case of food safety incident, legal defence in the frame of the "due diligence" concept
  

• build and operate a management system capable of helping you to better meet food quality and safety requirements and legal compliance, with specific reference to the legislation applicable in the Countries where the finished product is consumed
  

• provide a tool for food safety performance improvement, and the means to monitor and measure food safety performance effectively
  

• facilitate reductions in product waste, product reworking and product recall

Where do I go from here?
For third party BRC certification, you need to implement an effective Food Safety System complying with the requirements of the BRC standards.

Certification, or registration, to the BRC standard is the outcome of a successful assessment by an independent third party like IFQC. Experience has shown that some simple tips, often seemingly trivial, have proven invaluable to companies seeking certification. As you set out, keep these in mind:

• Make sure you begin the process with the right attitude.

• Have a complete understanding of the concept set forth in the BRC standard, and use the standard as a guide template to define your management system

• Know what application and implications of the standard will mean to your company.

• Use the BRC standard as a tool for improvement.

• Have an understanding of the risks and processes that affect your organisation’s ability to realise its business strategy.

• Select your partner BRC Certification body/registrar carefully.

What steps should I follow?
Below you will find general steps that will take you down the road to certification:

1. Obtain a BRC standard
Obtain and read a copy of the  BRC standard to familiarise yourself with the requirements. Then you should decide if BRC certification makes good sense for your organisation. You can obtain a copy of the BRC Standard from IFQC

2. Assemble a team and define your strategy
The adoption of the BRC Standard needs to be the strategic decision of the whole organisation. It is vital that your senior management is involved in the creation process. They decide the business strategy that an efficient management system should support. In addition, you need a dedicated team to develop and implement your management system.

3. Determine training needs
Your team members responsible for implementing and maintaining the management system(s) will need to know the full details of the applicable standard(s). There is a wide range of courses, workshops, and seminars available designed to meet these needs. IFQC SMART SOLUTIONS provide a number of public training courses around the world. Contact IFQC SMART SOLUTIONS for more information.

4. Review consultant options
Independent consultants may be able to advise you of a workable, realistic, and cost effective strategy plan for implementation.

5. Develop a management system manual
Your management systems manual should describe the policies and operations of your company. Through the manual, you will provide an accurate description of the organisation and the best practice adopted to consistently satisfy customer expectations.

6. Develop procedures
Procedures describe the processes of your organisation, and the best practice to achieve success in those processes. These procedures should answer the following questions about each process:
- why
- who
- when
- where
- what
- how

7. Implement your management system
Communication and training are keys to a successful implementation. During the implementation phase, your organisation will be working according to the procedures that were developed to document and demonstrate the effectiveness of the management system.

8. Consider a BRC pre-assessment
You can choose to have a preliminary evaluation of the implementation of your management system by IFQC. The purpose of this is to identify areas of non-conformance and allow you to correct these areas before you begin the accredited certification process. Receiving a non-conformance means that a particular area of your management systems is not compliant with the requirements of the standard.

9. Organise a BRC Assessment
Your business relationship with the certification body/registrar might be in place for many years, as your certification has to be maintained. To have an efficient management system, continual improvement is the key.

IFQC will help you get maximum value out of the certification process, evaluating strengths and improvement opportunities. For top management this means increased knowledge of the organisation’s ability to meet its strategic objectives. In this age of corporate scrutiny, it is also imperative to choose a certification body/registrar with a reputation beyond reproach.

When you have implemented your management system, prepared it for certification, contact IFQC you are ready to begin the accredited BRC Certification

Why IFQC?

IFQC is an approved, accredited and Contracted BRC Certification Body.

Through the use of Irish based auditors, and operating a lean accredited operating structure, IFQC can offer cost savings to the Industry without compromising integrity,

IFQC are recognized by all the leading retailers and understand the Irish food industry.

Postal Application

Online Application

Enquiries

General Enquiry Form

For more information on other standards including Traceability ISO22005, ISO22000, OR IFS please contact us:

IFQC Ltd. Rivercourt Business Centre, Riverlane, Dundalk, Co.Louth, Ireland.
Tel: 00 353 42 932 0912
Email: info@brc-ireland.com

<< Back

Any questions?
Please fill in our
General Enquiry Form

Job Opportunities

IFQC is currently seeking experienced auditors on a full-time and part-time basis. If you feel you have the qualifications and commitment to be an IFQC BRC audtor please contact us for more information