The British Retail Consortium Standard is a standard created by British retailers.
BRC was first issued in 1998 as the Global Food Standard to eliminate the burden of multiple inspections by 3rd parties and retailers on manufacturers supplying food to the UK.
It has a wide coverage covering all food safety and legal issues and points out the issues that need attention for both the supplier and the retailer.
The main purpose of BRC is to establish an inclusive framework of internationally accepted food safety standards and to help improve food safety.
In terms of form and content, the standard is designed to give an idea about the working systems of food manufacturers. Thus, standardization of food safety criteria and follow-up procedures has been achieved.
BRC has 4 different standards for different sectors.
1- Global Standard for Food Safety Issue 6 - Global Standard for Food Safety version 6
2- Global Standard for Consumer Products Issue 3- Global standard version 3 for Customer Products
3- Global Standard for Packaging and Packaging Materials Issue 4- Global standard version 4 for Packaging Materials
4- Global Standard for Storage and Distribution Issue 2- version 2 of the global standard for storage and distribution
ARTICLE HEADINGS OF THE BRC – FOOD SAFETY VERSION 6 STANDARD
1. Senior Management Commitment
2. Food Safety Plan – HACCP
3. Food safety and quality management system
4. Facility Standards
5. Product Control
6. Process Control
7. Employee
CERTIFICATION PROCESS
An organization that wishes to obtain a certificate according to the BRC Standard first signs a contract with the certification body authorized to issue this certificate.
The BRC Food Standard has categorized food processing and has reviewed and published it under 6 headings as follows.
1. Unprocessed meat and fish products (Red and white meat-fish, unprocessed meat and fish products)
2. Production (Fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables)
3. Daily Foods (milk and dairy products, eggs)
4. Meat and fish products, cooked and frozen, ready to eat or cook
5. Environmentally resistant, heat protected, packaged food products
6. Other environmentally resistant food products (beverages, bakery products, dried foods, light foods and breakfast cereals, oils and fats, food additives)
Companies should examine these categories while applying for certification and apply through the category that is appropriate for them.
After the contract with the certification body, the organization that wants to get the certificate fulfills the necessary documentation and process conditions in accordance with the BRC requirements.
After the necessary preparations are completed, an audit is requested from the certification body.
As a result of the examination carried out by expert auditors, companies whose compliance with the criteria determined in the BRC standard are registered are certified. The validity period of the certificate is 1 year.
Benefits of BRC
Increasing consumer confidence
Priority entry to the desired market
Strong ties with retail distribution
Increasing transparency Increasing the efficiency of production
Minimizing major food risks
It has a wide scope such as Quality, Hygiene and Product Safety. It ensures effective control of internal processes and minimizing the risk of making mistakes.
It brings a proactive approach to food safety by identifying potential hazards in advance and using preventive methods instead of corrective ones.