Infolinks

The BRC Global Standard for Food Safety Issue 5

Thursday, June 4, 2009

The Global Standard for Food Safety was first developed in 1998 by the food service industry to enable suppliers to be audited by third party Certification Bodies against a single consistent standard, reducing duplication of effort and enabling the retail industry to focus activities on areas of competitive advantage. Built on the principles of clear risk based requirements, informative report format and auditor competence, the Standard has continued to develop and evolve with input from a wider base of international stakeholders including retailers, caterers, food manufacturers and Certification Bodies.
The Standard is closely managed by the BRC who license the use of the Standard to Certification Bodies who must be both accredited by their national Accreditation Body and abide by strict BRC requirements for auditor competency, reporting and performance.
The latest edition features a number of innovations, including:
1.Optional unannounced audits have been introduced for companies gaining certification grade A or B
2.More guidance on implementing HACCP based on Codex Alimentarius principles
3.Greater emphasis on senior management demonstrating their commitment to the aim of achieving product quality and safety and to ensuring corrective action for non-conformities is undertaken
4.Expanded sections on issues of major importance, such as allergens and identity preserved materials, laboratory management, and physical and chemical contamination control
5.A more rigorous grading system for grades B, C and D has been introduced with a re-visit by the Certification Body required within 28 days to verify corrective actions for grade C as well as audit frequency reduced to 6 months
6.Revision of product categories that focus on product technologies that are now cross referenced with fields of audit pertinent to auditor requirements
7.A new section has been introduced on site security requiring controlled access and training of staff, secure storage of materials and registration and approval of premises.

0 comments

Post a Comment