BRC Food Version 7: the most important changes

The BRC Global Standard Food Safety, the internationally recognized standard of the British Retail Consortium, was revised over the course of 2014.  As the release of BRC Food Version 7 is imminent in January 2015, we have compiled an overview of the most important changes.

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Background to revision

Since its first publication, the BRC Food Standard has been revised and updated several times to reflect the expectations of the various stakeholders that are constantly changing in a dynamic environment. In addition, standards recognized for GFSI (the Global Food Safety Initiative) require the revision of the requirements over a 4-year cycle.

The most recent revision focused on the experience gained in recent years in the context of public recalls of food. It is therefore not surprising that the requirements for the traceability of food have been intensively revised.

Furthermore, the demands on food defense, authenticity and food fraud, which are hotly debated at the GFSI level, have found their way into the new version.

Significant changes in BRC Food Version 7

1. Two new fundamentals

The so-called “fundamentals” are comparable to the KO criteria of the IFS and must be fully fulfilled in the certification audit. In addition to the existing ten fundamentals from version 6, which are all retained, there will be two new fundamentals in version 7:

Labeling control: Incorrect or inadequate marking is one of the causes of recalls. To emphasize the importance of this subject, all requirements concerning labeling have been compiled in one section. However, the demands are not completely new, so the necessary adjustments for already certified sites are limited. Labeling control is a new requirement in Chapter 6.
Supplier management: Sites must maintain an effective system for the release and monitoring of suppliers of raw materials and packaging materials to ensure that no risks arise regarding safety, authenticity, legal conformity and quality. BRC Agents and Brokers require certification for the purchase of traders, IFS Broker is not considered to be sufficient.
 2. Traceability

The requirement of traceability is tightened, especially with respect to suppliers. Certified sites must not only maintain their own traceability system, but also ensure that suppliers have built an effective traceability system. A GFSI-recognized certificate can be regarded as proof of such a system at suppliers. A company-related supplier questionnaire is no longer considered to be sufficient. In the case of supplier audits, the traceability system must also be regularly considered.

3. Authenticity

In order to assess the likelihood of adulteration and to prevent food fraud, a risk assessment must take place, taking into account the nature of the raw materials as well as the economic factors and methods of detection. Likewise, the interchangeability of the raw materials in the entire supply chain is to be estimated and the probability of the food fraud is taken into account by specific historical cases.

If the valuation of certain raw materials is at high risk, appropriate measures are to be taken and / or trial procedures initiated.

4. The extended zon concept

The zoning concept is extended by one category. In addition to the “High Care” and “High Risk” zones for refrigerated products, version 7 will also include a risk class for non-refrigerated products with high care requirements. All company parts of the company are to be classified into zones and represented in the form of plans. What is new is that non-production areas, such as the administration or the machinery house, as well as areas with enclosed facilities without contact with the product, are to be included in the plans.

5. Customer requirements & communication

A new point concerns dealing with customer-specific requirements and specifications. Certified sites must ensure that these requirements are communicated to the affected employees and business partners. Corresponding proof must be provided.

6. Optional additional modules

When formulating the new version 7, the option of installing additional modules was taken into account. From our experience, we expect that this opportunity will be increasingly used by British retailers in the future. The optional additional modules are then implemented in a timely context with the actual BRC Audit, but are not included in the scope of the Food Safety certification. Any deviations determined will also not affect the assessment for the annual BRC audit. Examples of modules that are already known are the optional module for the trade in finished products not manufactured by themselves, the food defense module, the module for the use of food in the animal feed sector or the ASDA module of the British retail chain ASDA.

7. Evaluation system:

In order to create a further incentive for continuous improvement, an excellence level has been introduced. The new classification “AA” is intended for companies that have reached grade A already. Companies with a maximum of 5 minor deviations are classified into the new category. The number of the maximum possible minor of the previous category A remains unchanged.

schedule

Currently the new version of the BRC is in the translation phase. It is planned to release all language versions without delay. After the publication of the standard in January 2015, the training courses for companies and auditors will start. The application of the BRC version 7 is mandatory for all audits, which take place after 1.7.2015.

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Update – January 7, 2015: On January 7, 2015, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) published version 7 of the BRC Food Standards. To make it easier for you to switch to the new version, we have compiled the answers to the most frequently asked questions.

BRC Food Version 7: the most important changes

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