What is BRC?

BRC (British Retail Consortium) – is the standard of the British Retailers Association. This standard was developed to help retailers manage full regulatory compliance and protect consumers by providing baseline assessments for food supply companies. are suppliers of retailers.

In the UK: In 1998 the British Retailers Association developed and introduced the BRC food specification - later renamed the global food standard, in which the application of the HACCP system according to the principles of Codex rules are classified as basic requirements and are located in the first clause. Members of this association and their food suppliers are required to comply with this standard. Later, the application of this standard became a passport for businesses wishing to export food to the UK market and some large retail groups in the US.

Benefits of applying BRC:

- As proof of commitment and in the event of an incident, the legal barrier in the principle of "best efforts" is also proof.

- Build & operate a management system to help your business meet the requirements of quality, food safety & especially the laws of the countries consuming the products.

- Provides tools for food safety improvement implementation and is a means to effectively control & measure food safety performance.

- Minimize product waste, recycled products, & product recalls.

- BRC certification also aids management chain efficiency by minimizing second-party audits & increasing trust throughout your supply chain.

History and Development of BRC

In 1996 at the BRC, the BRC Global Standards was first created. It was designed to supply food retailers with a common approach to supplier auditing. 

In 1998, the first BRC Global Standard was released. Since then, the BRC has worked to support and offer guidance to the food manufacturing sector. 

Fundamentals:

Senior management of the company must demonstrate their complete commitment to the requirements of the Global Food Safety Standard. This must include the provision of appropriate resources, effective communication, review and action systems for effective continuous improvement. Improvement opportunities must be identified, implemented and fully documented.

– Senior management of the company must provide the human and financial resources required to implement and improve the processes of the quality management system and the food safety plan.

– There must be a clear channel of communication and reporting to senior management from the department responsible for monitoring compliance with the Global Standard for Food Safety. Departments must regularly report on performance.

– Top management of the company must ensure that food safety and quality objectives are established, documented, monitored and reviewed.

– Top management of the company must ensure that there is a process in place to identify and address safety and legal issues at a strategic level.

– The company's senior management should be responsible for the review processes.

– The review process should be carried out according to an appropriate plan, at least annually, to ensure validation of the food safety plan and the suitability, adequacy and effectiveness of the HACCP system.

- The review process must include:

+ Internal, second-party, third-party audits.

Documentation of previous management review, action plans, and timeframes.

+ Customer metrics, complaints and feedback.

+ Incidents, corrective actions, out-of-spec results and nonconforming supplies.

+ Implementation procedures and deviations for defined parameters considering the HACCP system

+ Development of relevant scientific information for products in the scope of application.

Resource Requirements

– Records of the management review meeting should be fully documented and maintained.

– Decisions and actions agreed upon during the review should be communicated effectively to staff, and actions taken within the scheduled time. The records must be updated when the action is complete.

– The company must have a current version of the Global Standard for Food Safety.

– The company must maintain certification to the Global Standard for Food Safety by effective planning to ensure that the certification is not expired.

– The establishment's top production leaders must attend the opening and closing meetings.

– Senior management must ensure that nonconformities in the previous audit are effectively remedied.

Process for consulting BRC

ITVC Global services for BRC:

Consulting:

- Consulting on setting up and applying a Management System according to BRC

Training:

- Understanding and interpreting BRC requirements

- Skills internal assessment by BRC