The Global Standard for Food Safety was initially released by BRCGS (formerly known as BRC) in 1998. With over 17,000 BRC-certified sites worldwide, it was created to assist the food sector in adhering to UK and EU food safety rules. Today, it is a globally recognized benchmark for best practices in food safety, quality, and responsibility.
The standard, which is currently in its ninth edition, provides a framework for controlling the safety, integrity, and quality of goods and services to companies operating in the food business. Retailers, producers, importers, caterers, and providers of ingredients fall under this category.
Contents of the Global Standard for Food Safety
The guidelines for the preparation and manufacturing of processed foods and other products (such as branded foods, foods sold under retailer brands, or ingredients utilized by food service providers, caterers, or manufacturers) are outlined in the Global Standard for Food Safety. Applications will only be accepted for goods that are produced, prepared, or kept at the location that is audited as part of the certification process. This standard is divided into 7 sections.
- Continual Improvement and Commitment from Senior Management: Senior managers in your company need to be dedicated to putting your food safety procedures into place and keeping them up to date.
- HAPPC’s Food Safety Plan: You can recognize and control any physical, chemical, or biological risks that can render the food you produce unfit for consumption by putting in place a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan.
- Quality Control and Safety of Food: Establishing a system that helps you to satisfy consumer expectations, manufacture safe products, and make sure staff members are properly trained is something you should do.
- Site Requirements: Sites used for food manufacturing or preparation need to be set up, kept clean, secured, and maintained by strict guidelines. The management of pests and foreign bodies is another obligation that your organization must fulfil.
- Control of the Product: For your items to be deemed safe, you must provide proof that you appropriately handle issues like product testing, provenance, and allergens.
- Process Management: To guarantee that you produce your goods to the right quality, you must have efficient processes in place and daily apply your HACCP plan.
- Personnel: This part of the standard suggests BRC issue 9 training, protecting clothes and hygiene. You must make sure that every employee has everything they require to perform their jobs safely.
The purpose of BRC issue 9 is to guarantee that organizations are adhering to rigorous, uniform standards and to encourage best practices. By earning the BRCGS certification, you can reassure your clients that you are an expert at keeping an eye on and enhancing the product’s quality and safety and that you have taken all reasonable steps to avoid issues in the unlikely event that these factors are questioned.
What are the advantages of BRCGS?
Obtaining BRCGS certification has the following advantages:
- Safeguards both your clients and your brand
- Permits you to conduct business with merchants, producers, suppliers of ingredients, and food service establishments that include certification in their approval procedure.
- Reduces the quantity of customer complaints, product recalls, and rejected goods
- Integrates globally recognized best practices and food safety management systems to guarantee the products’ quality and safety.
- Certification bodies with extensive training and expertise conducting audits adhere to BRCGS Global Standards.
To Know Certificationconsultancy.com
Since 1995, they have been a leading certification consultancy company providing system certification services to over 1200 clients in 65 countries. The team of experienced management system consultants has over 25 years of experience in industrial, R&D, laboratories, and management systems consultancy. The newest Global Standard for Food Safety Issue 9 is met by the BRCGS food safety documentation package, which offers a fundamental framework for food safety management systems. The kit contains plain English editable Microsoft Word documents that enable companies to quickly create BRCGS Food Safety Manuals, Procedures, and Checklists. Numerous foreign clients have successfully obtained BRCGS Issue 9 Certification on their first try with the assistance of BRCGS Certification Consultants.