BRCGS Global Standard for Food Safety

Now in use around the world, the BRCGS Global Standard for Food Safety was developed by UK retailers and suppliers to consolidate a wide variety of food management standards to provide clear guidance and promote compliance for food businesses both large and small. Covering the basic activities that any organization would have in place for food production, this standard is built on seven key requirements including:

  • senior management commitment
  • 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

BRCGS Global Standard for Food Safety provides comprehensive, risk-based criteria addressing current and emerging global food safety issues. Key topics addressed include:

  • food safety culture
  • environmental monitoring
  • food security and defence
  • allergen management
  • labelling and packing controls

Fundamental requirements and intent for food safety are supported by prescriptive requirements where necessary to demonstrate due diligence.

Issue 9 is now available

The requirements of the standard are an evolution from previous issues with a continued emphasis on management commitment, a food safety program (based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points - HACCP) and supporting quality management system.

The focus of attention for this issue has been on:

  • product safety culture
  • HACCP / Food Safety Plan (Codex General Principles of Food Hygiene)
  • Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) benchmarking requirements
  •  information and communication technology (ICT)
  •  product safety activities, including internal audits, root cause analysis, preventive actions and incident management
  • animal primary conversion and producing animal feed
  • outsourced processing
  • equipment including the hygienic design of food buildings.
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Why choose the BRCGS food safety standard?

Benefits:

  • Globally recognized and GFSI benchmarked
  • Reduced audit burden (BRCGS certification is recognized by many retailers around the world, so a BRCGS-certified system may meet the needs of many of your customers)
  • Reduced product recalls, complaints and rejected products
  • Increased customer confidence, opening new market opportunities
  • Clearly defined risk-based requirements based on due diligence requirements  

It also includes an optional pre-assessment, providing opportunities to encourage and recognize the development of best practice food safety systems in small sites where the full scope of requirements may not be appropriate.

Achievable
The BRCGS standard for food safety takes a common sense, risk-based approach, providing organizations with a clear path towards achieving certification. Over 25,000 sites in more than 130 different countries have risen to the challenge of implementing industry best practice food safety certification making this an industry benchmark standard for food safety.

Supported by customers
Many retailers, food service companies and major food manufacturers around the world support the BRCGS Global Standard for Food Safety as a core food safety standard and accept certification to this standard as a pre-requisite to their supplier approval process.

Appropriate
The standard has been developed by a multi-stakeholder group representing organizations from a wide range of food industry sectors. It’s based on CODEX HACCP and incorporates food safety management systems and internationally accepted best manufacturing practices to ensure product safety and quality. 

Cost effective
Industry recognized and accepted certification reduces the need for and expense of duplicate audits. Audits are completed by local BRCGS-trained and approved auditors to enable an internationally accepted standard to be audited at local rates.

The journey to certification

Whether you’re more concerned about meeting the requirements of your customers or protecting consumers, certifying to the BRCGS Global Standard for Food Safety can drive meaningful change in your organization. From information to certification, no matter how far along you are, BSI can support your journey. Want to know more about the requirements of the standard, the steps to certification or how BSI is here to help?  

> Contact BSI

Why BSI?

The food industry impacts every person on the planet. Though what the world’s population may eat may differ depending on the geography, wealth, age, gender and availability of goods, no other sector plays such a vital role in all of our day-today lives and culture. Economically, food represents 10% of global GDP (valued at US$48 trillion by the World Bank).

But the food sector also faces significant challenges. Each year, food-borne illness makes one in ten people ill and is the cause of death for millions around the world. Population growth projections and an increasing middle class suggest that the demand for food will increase 70% by 2050. And, consumers are increasingly conscious about what goes into their food, how it’s made, its impact on ecosystems and where it comes from.

BSI believes the world deserves food that is safe, sustainable and socially responsible. We support the food sector by developing and publishing standards of best practice, supply chain solutions as well as training and certification to not only the most popular food safety standards, but other business improvement standards that work together to make organizations more resilient.

Working in 172 countries, we pride ourselves on the expertise, integrity and professionalism of our people. Our mission is to help our 80,000 clients, ranging from high-profile global brands to small local companies, survive and prosper in today’s world.