What is the BRC, or what is the British Retail Consortium?
The BRC scheme consists of an inspection protocol and a technical standard. The inspection protocol is intended for inspecting institutions. The technical standard is an extensive checklist (with more than 300 points), which states all requirements for suppliers and food products.
The BRC8 Food Safety consists of nine sections.
- Senior management commitment
- The food safety plan – HACCP
- Food safety and quality management system
- Site standards
- Product control
- Process control
- Personnel
- High-risk, High-care, and ambient High-care production risk zones
- Requirements for traded products
Connect to comply
iMIS Food offers a complete infrastructure for QA matters, enabling efficient compliance with changing legislation and standards.
Since 2009, more than 1000 audits have been successfully completed with iMIS Food!
A BRC audit: How is the scoring of the audit structered
During an audit, a company can achieve 5 scores, namely AA, A, B, C, or D. The score assigned to the company depends on the number of non-conformities that the company has during an audit. If a company is given the AA, A, or B score, the audit frequency is 12 months. If a company is given a C score, the audit frequency is 6 months. And with a D score, the certification is not awarded.
An unannounced audit for the standard BRC
There is also the possibility to have unannounced audits carried out. You can achieve a score of AA+, A+, B+, C+, or D+ depending on the type and number of non-conformities found during the audit. It can be deduced from the plus that it was an unannounced audit.
Read what you should take note of with BRC here
BRC8: The new requirements for February 2019
On February 1, 2019, the new legal requirements for BRC Food 8 came into effect. In August 2018, the eighth version was published and, as stated, version eight of BRC Food is legally enforced as of February 1, 2019. As a result, the entire international food processing sector will have to comply with these conditions of the BRC Global Standard for Food Safety.
More information and news about BRC can be found on the official BRC website.
Other forms of BRC outside BRC Food Safety
In addition to BRC Food Safety, BRC has 5 other standards, namely:
- Packaging and packaging materials
- Storage and distribution
- Agents and brokers
- Consumer products
- Retail
Obtaining and maintaining certification through iMIS Food
Obtaining certification is not easy. You must meet many requirements. By working with our solution iMIS Food it is easier to obtain and maintain your BRC certification. iMIS Food is the abbreviation for Integrated Management & Information Systems – for Food Safety and Quality Assurance. In other words, an integrated management information system for food quality assurance. You can read more about the possibilities of iMIS Food on this page.
Different standards compared to BRC: IFS and FSSC 22000
In addition to BRC Food, there is also IFS and FSSC 22000. All three certification schemes have a set of basic requirements that you must meet. These requirements are drawn up by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI). The GFSI requirements are included in the so-called Benchmarking requirements. A BRC certification is therefore recognized by the GFSI.
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