BRC Standards
BRC is a leading brand and consumer protection certification scheme, used by over 29,000 certificated suppliers over 130 countries, with certification issued through a global network of accredited certification bodies.
BRC Standards guarantee the standardization of quality, safety and operational criteria and ensure that manufacturers fulfil their legal obligations and provide protection for the end consumer.
Standardization of Quality & Safety
Certification to BRC Standards is now often a fundamental requirement of leading retailers, manufacturers and food service organizations.
BRC Global Standard for Food Safety
The certification standard is designed for all food business operators, regardless of their size or complexity. The requirements, however, mainly focus on organizations that either produce retailer branded products, or that supply products to Great Britain and have been requested by the local retail chains to provide that kind of evidence.
A major portion of all foodstuffs sold in Great Britain is retail branded. According to the Food Safety Act of 1990, retailers are required to take all precautionary measures that are necessary, and to apply due diligence in preventing errors in research and development, distribution, advertisement, and when selling food products to consumers. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) developed the Global Standard-Food, which governs the due diligence defence of British Food Law. It also provides the basis for the evaluation of retail brand manufacturers, who have to demonstrate fulfillment of the standard’s requirements.
Benefits
- Improved confidence among retailers and buyers in the safety, quality, and legality of the product
- Increased product safety and less risk of product liability
- Safe and efficient process flows in the interest of food safety, in order to quickly identify and control risks with respect to hygiene, quality, and health hazards for consumers, and to specify effective preventive measures
- Access to the British food market
BRC Global Standard for Packaging & Packaging Materials
BRC Packaging is designed for manufacturers of packaging who supply components or ready-made packaging for the packaging of foodstuffs, as well as their suppliers. In addition, a BRC Packaging certificate is recommended for any suppliers of packaging materials to Great Britain who have been requested by the local retail chains to provide that kind of evidence.
A major portion of all foodstuffs sold in Great Britain is retailer branded. In order to meet their legal obligations, retailers are required to monitor their suppliers, and to demonstrate their own “due diligence“ when placing food on the market. That also includes the manufacturers of food packaging, who need to demonstrate fulfillment of the requirements of BRC Packaging.
Benefits for your organization
- Improved confidence among retailers and the buyers of packaging materials in the safety, quality, and legality of the product
- Increased product safety and less risk of product liability
- Safe and efficient process flows in the interest of packaging material safety, in order to quickly identify and control risks with respect to hygiene, quality, and health hazards for consumers, and to specify effective preventive measures
- Access to the British food market
BRC Consumer Products
Open up new markets with a BRC Consumer Products Certificate.
The BRC Global Standard for Consumer products, published in 2003 by the British Retail Consortium, aims to protect consumers and to increase the quality and safety of consumer goods through consistent quality- and risk management. The standard focuses upon the identification and management of risks and the implementation of preventive measures, with hygiene as a central element of the quality management system.
The scope of Consumer Products, Issue 3 covers a wide range of non-food products in the global marketplace; including formulated products such as shampoos, paints and cosmetics, fabricated items like televisions and toys, electrical goods, furniture and textiles. The products may be retailer brands or national brands.
BRC Consumer Products is particularly widespread in the Anglophone world and is often a requirement for suppliers to gain market acceptance.
Benefits for your organization
- Stabilization of customer confidence
- Stabilization of trading companies in product safety, -quality and -legality
- Higher product security
- Lower product liability risks
- Systematic analysis, implementation of safe and more efficient process cycles in the sense of product security and steering of processes
- Timely notice of consumer risks concerning hygiene and security of consumer goods. Definition of appropriate preventive measures.
BRC Storage and Distribution
The BRC Standard for Logistics Providers
The BRC Standard for Storage and Distribution outlines quality and safety requirements for the storage and distribution of both food and non-food products. The standard, initially published in 2006, closes the gap between manufacturers and retailers and thereby increases transparency and safety along the supply chain. DQS is your partner for value-adding certification.
Target Group
The standard applies to logistics providers, who store, transport and distribute packaged food, consumer goods and packaging materials. It does not apply to brokers without own storage facilities – these are covered by the BRC Standard for Agents & Brokers. The storage of food by the manufacturer is also not covered by Storage and Distribution, provided the manufacturer stores the food directly on the premises or close to the location of manufacture (up to 50 kilometers), as this is already covered by the BRC Food Safety Standard.
Not sure which BRC Standard is the right one for your company?
Contact us to talk things through.
CONTENT AND STRUCTURE
The requirements of the standards are divided into eight main sections:
- Management commitment
- Hazard and risk analysis
- Quality management system
- Site and building standards
- Vehicle operating standards
- Facility management
- Good operating practices
- Personnel
CERTIFICATION PROCESS – HERE’S HOW IT WORKS
The audit can be conducted whenever you feel ready. The duration of the audit depends on the size of the site and the complexity of the processes, but is usually about 1,5 mandays. After a successful certification audit, you obtain a certificate with a validity of one year. You are also registered as a certified provider in the BRC directory. To maintain certified status, a recertification audit is necessary after one year.
DQS – YOUR PARTNER FOR CERTIFICATION
DQS is your partner for BRC certification. We schedule audits without hassle, rely exclusively on experienced auditors, create added value with intelligent audit reports and guide you through the entire certification process.
