BRCGS Food Safety Certification

What is BRCGS certification?

BRCGS is an internationally recognized standard for food safety benchmarked to the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI). BRCGS certified manufacturing facilities demonstrate compliance with comprehensive food safety initiatives, including an audited HACCP plan, documented quality management system, demonstrated environmental controls for products, a culture of quality and personnel trained in sound food handling practices.

Why get a BRCGS certification?

The BRCGS Global Standards are used by suppliers in over 100 countries to protect food safety during the manufacture, storage and distribution of food and food packaging materials. BRCGS Certification helps companies demonstrate compliance with the GFSI and gain access to top U.S. and EU retailers.

Is BRCGS certification only for companies located in Europe?

No, BRCGS started in Europe under the name British retail consortium. BRC has become BRCGS and is now a globally recognized food and safety certification program.

Are there specific benchmarks or minimum requirements that need to be achieved in order to receive BRCGS certification?

Yes – the BRCGS START! Program is a great place to start if you are looking into growing into certification. You can also schedule a Pre-assessment to determine your audit readiness.

What is BRCGS START! Program and how is it different from BRCGS certification?

BRCGS START! Program is the beginner level program, designed to help small and medium size operations to work towards aligning with the BRCGS Food Safety Certification.  BRCGS START! is not GFSI recognized but puts you on the path to achieve a full GFSI certification. BRCGS food safety certification is GFSI benchmarked.

Are there different BRCGS certification categories?

Yes – BRCGS food safety has 16 categories. BRCGS also offers other standards including packaging, gluten free, storage and distribution.

What BRCGS standards does SCS certify to?

SCS can certify to the following BRCGS Global Standards: Global Standard for Food Safety, Global Standard for Packaging and Packaging Materials, and Global Standard for the Gluten-Free Certification Program.

How do I prepare for my BRCGS audit?

Your company will need to prepare and supply SCS with background information prior to the audit, including:

• A summary of critical control points (CCPs)
• The process flow diagram
• A simple site plan
• The management organizational chart
• The list of products or product groups included within the audit scope
• Typical shift patterns
• Production schedules, to allow audits to cover relevant processes (e.g., night-time manufacture)
• Recent quality issues, withdrawal or customer complaints and other relevant performance data

What can we expect during a BRCGS Food Safety Certification audit?

A week or two before the audit, the auditor will reach out with you to confirm the scope and the audit plan. The auditor will arrive at the agreed upon time as laid out in the audit plan. An opening meeting will be conducted, during which time the auditor will again go over the audit plan. The auditor will spend 2-3 days on site and will spend a percentage of that time on the production floor, a outside survey of the building and the balance of time will be spent on document review.

How long will the BRCGS audit take?

Audit length is determined by the size of the facility and the number of processes being audited between 2 and 4 days

Can we bundle BRCGS with other GFSI or food certifications so audits can take place at the same time?

Yes – SCS can bundle some services to streamline your audit experience.

1. View the Standard

   To fully assess your level of compliance to BRCGS Standards, visit the BRCGS website and view the Standard.

2. Apply for Auditing

   Fill out an SCS Application form, which provides  details of your site and operation. SCS returns a proposal for your approval with a suggested scope of work, timeline and quote. To initiate the certification process, return a signed proposal and Work Order.

3. Self-Assessment

   Review your current systems and practices against the requirements of the BRCGS Standard in order to identify areas which may need further work before undertaking a full audit. Consider undertaking a pre-assessment with SCS or use the BRCGS developed Self-Assessment Tool.

4. Schedule an Audit

   SCS assigns an auditor and audit dates are proposed. Once an audit date is confirmed, an audit plan is provided to ensure that your team is prepared.

5. On-site Audit

   An on-site audit of your operation is carried out to ensure that your operation complies with the BRCGS Standard. After completion, the SCS auditor provides you with an Audit Report, which lists any non-conformities. You can discuss these findings and ask questions with the auditor at the closing meeting.

6. Complete Corrective Actions

   Identified non-conformities must be addressed and evidence of corrective actions provided to SCS within 28 days. In some circumstances it may be necessary for the auditor to return to the site to check that appropriate corrective action has been taken.

7. Make Certification Decision

   SCS reviews the Audit Report and Corrective Action documentation to make a certification decision. SCS can also provide client marketing support.

8. Receive Certificate

   For those who achieve certification, a final audit report and certificate is issued within 42 days of the original audit date. A copy of the report is automatically sent to the BRCGS, and your company is listed in the online BRCGS Directory.

   Note: It is a principle of the BRCGS scheme that the audit report is owned by the company paying for the audit. Copies can only be provided to other parties at the request of the owner (a copy is provided to the BRCGS and this is held confidentially).

The BRCGS standard describes three levels of involvement:

Enrollment program

For factories where food safety is still developing. This program allows recognition of improvements in food safety by providing a scored audit for sites that are not ready for certification. The audit reports and scores can be shared with customers and are intended to enable sites to develop within a framework that will eventually enable full certification.

Announced audit program

For existing certificated sites. This is the same audit process used for sites within the enrollment program. Successful sites are awarded a certificate with the grade AA, A, B or C, depending on the number and type of non-conformities identified. In accordance with GFSI standard requirements, 1 in 3 audits must be unannounced.

Voluntary unannounced program

This voluntary program provides added confidence in certification to customers and creates marketing benefits when the top BRCGS grade of AA+ is achieved. Available to factories with mature food safety systems that are currently awarded a certification Grade A+, A, B+ or B. Two options are available for an unannounced program. Option 1 involves a facility walk-through and verification of good manufacturing practices (GMPs). Option 2 requires two separate on-site audits: Part 1 involves a walk-through and verification of GMPs, while Part 2 involves review of documented systems, procedures and records.