Implementation walkthrough
How to implement BRCGS Food Safety: video walkthrough
A walkthrough of preparing a food manufacturing, processing or packing site for a BRCGS Global Standard Food Safety audit and grade.
Key takeaways
- BRCGS Food Safety prescribes what a food site must have, rather than leaving design to you.
- Every audited site must hold an official copy of the Standard.
- A food safety culture plan with actions and measures is required.
- Audits can be announced, blended or unannounced, and sites are graded AA to D.
- Certified sites are listed in the BRCGS Directory.
A prescriptive standard written for the retail supply chain
The BRCGS Global Standard Food Safety is a certification standard for sites that manufacture, process or pack food and food ingredients. Written by and for the retail supply chain, it reads differently from an ISO management system standard: instead of asking a site to design its own controls, it prescribes what a food factory must have, from the HACCP-based food safety plan and the documented system to the building fabric, equipment hygiene, allergen handling, pack labelling and the training and clothing of the people on the line. It is recognised by the Global Food Safety Initiative.
Sites are audited, graded from AA to D and listed in the BRCGS Directory. This short film walks through how a site prepares for that audit.
From scope to graded audit
Begin by defining the scope and the audit programme: the products, lines, zones and headcount; whether traded products, outsourced processing or a head office are in or out; and whether the audit will be announced, blended or unannounced. A gap analysis then checks the site clause by clause against Issue 9, of which every audited site must hold an official copy, and agrees actions with owners and dates.
Implementation works through the Standard's sections: senior management commitment, including a food safety culture plan with actions and measures; the Codex-based HACCP food safety plan; the food safety and quality management system; site standards for the building, equipment and hygiene; product control, including allergens and labelling; process control; and personnel. Fundamental clauses get particular attention because of their weight at audit. Internal audits and management review test the site before a certification body approved by BRCGS audits it, grades it and decides. The Directory listing is what customers check.
Sterling's expert and experienced consultants prepare the site and implement with your team under Sterling OS™. Issue 9 has been audited since 1 February 2023, and Issue 10 is in development.
BRCGS Food Safety at a glance
- Purpose
- A site standard for the safety, quality, authenticity and legality of food: HACCP-based food safety plan, management system, site standards and product, process and people controls, audited and graded
- Relevant to
- Food and ingredient manufacturers, processors and packers in 18 product categories, from raw meat and dairy to bakery, beverages and pet food, with traded products optional
- Edition
- Issue 9, published 1 August 2022, audited since 1 February 2023, position statements effective 10 August 2026; Issue 10 in development, no dates announced
- Certification
- Audited, graded AA to D and decided by a BRCGS-approved certification body accredited to ISO/IEC 17065; GFSI-recognised; certificates listed in the BRCGS Directory
- Sterling's role
- Gap analysis, food safety plan, site and product controls, documentation, Effivity, training, internal audit and audit readiness, then Sustain™
- Cost and timing
- Total investment for a BRCGS food safety system depends on the current maturity of your processes, the scope, locations and number of employees. The process typically takes 5 to 10 months
BRCGS Food Safety: questions people ask
What does the BRCGS Global Standard Food Safety cover?
The safety, quality, authenticity and legality of food made, processed or packed at a site, in nine sections: senior management commitment, the HACCP-based food safety plan, the management system, site standards, product control, process control, personnel, production risk zones and traded products. It spans 18 product categories, from raw meat and fish to dairy, bakery, beverages, dried foods, confectionery, oils and pet food.
Is BRCGS Food Safety recognised by GFSI?
Yes. Issue 9 is on GFSI's list of recognised certification programmes, announced and unannounced options both, benchmarked against the GFSI Benchmarking Requirements version 2020; BRCGS was the first standard GFSI benchmarked. A certificate from an approved body meets a request for GFSI-recognised certification; check whether the customer also names a grade or the unannounced programme.
BRCGS, FSSC 22000 or ISO 22000: which should we choose?
Ask the customer first. ISO 22000 is a management system standard and is not GFSI-recognised on its own; FSSC 22000 adds sector prerequisite programmes and scheme requirements to it and is recognised; BRCGS is a prescriptive, recognised site standard that produces a grade. A site that wants room to design its own controls tends towards FSSC 22000; a site supplying retailers that read grades and Directory reports tends towards BRCGS.
What do the grades AA to D mean, and what is the "+"?
The certification body grades the audit from the number and severity of the nonconformities it raises, from AA at the top through A, B and C to D; a critical nonconformity means no certificate. An unannounced audit adds a "+", so AA+ tells a customer the site earned its grade on a day it did not choose. The grade sets the certificate's life, twelve months or six, and in practice how a retailer ranks you against other suppliers.
Announced, blended or unannounced: which audit programme is right for us?
All three lead to the same certificate. On the announced programme the date is agreed, but at least one audit in every three years is unannounced anyway. The blended programme, for re-certification audits only, splits the audit into a remote review of records and an on-site part within 28 days of it, the remote part at most half the duration. The unannounced programme earns the "+" on every certificate and suits a site whose system runs the same every day.
Keep exploring
Related to this video
The complete guide
Everything on BRCGS Food Safety
Start with the BRCGS Food Safety page, or go straight to the guide you need.
On the BRCGS Food Safety page
- What are the main BRCGS Food Safety requirements?
- How do you get BRCGS Food Safety certified?
- How much does BRCGS Food Safety certification cost?
- How long does BRCGS Food Safety certification take?
- Who needs BRCGS Food Safety certification?
- How BRCGS Food Safety protects your customers, your brand and your listing
- Frequently asked questions about BRCGS Food Safety
Often combined with BRCGS Food Safety
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