3.1.1 The site’s procedures, working methods and practices shall be collated in the form of a printed or electronic quality manual.
3.1.2 The food safety and quality manual shall be fully implemented and the manual or relevant components shall be readily available to relevant staff.
This shall include the use of photographs, diagrams or other pictorial instructions where written communication alone is not sufficient (e.g. there are issues of literacy or foreign language).
a list of all controlled documents indicating the latest version number
the method for the identification and authorization of controlled documents
a record of the reason for any changes or amendments to documents
the system for the replacement of existing documents when these are updated.
stored securely (e.g. with authorised access, control of amendments, or password protected)
backed up to prevent loss.
stored securely (e.g. with authorised access, control of amendments, or password protected)
suitably backed up to prevent loss.
any legal or customer requirements
the shelf life of the product.
At a minimum, the programmed shall include at least four different audit dates spread throughout the year. The frequency at which each activity is audited shall be established in relation to the risks associated with the activity and previous audit perfor
HACCP or food safety plan, including the activities to implement it (e.g. supplier approval, corrective actions and verification)
prerequisite programmers (e.g. hygiene, pest control)
food defence and food fraud prevention plans
procedures implemented to achieve the Standard.
3.4.2 Internal audits shall be carried out by appropriately trained, competent auditors. Auditors shall be independent (e.g. not audit their own work).
3.4.3 The internal audit programmed shall be fully implemented. Internal audit reports shall identify conformity as well as non-conformity and include objective evidence of the findings.
The results shall be reported to the personnel responsible for the activity audited.
Corrective and preventive actions, and timescales for their implementation, shall be agreed and their completion verified.
hygiene inspections to assess cleaning and housekeeping performance
fabrication inspections to identify risks to the product from the building or equipment.
microbiological contamination
variety or species cross contamination
substitution or fraud (see clause 5.4.2)
any risks associated with raw materials which are subject to legislative control.
when there is a change in a raw material, the processing of a raw material, or the supplier of a raw material
following a product recall or withdrawal, where a specific raw material has been implicated
a valid certification to the applicable BRC Global Standard or GFSI-benchmarked standard. The scope of the certification shall include the raw materials purchased
supplier audits, with a scope to include product safety, traceability, HACCP review and good manufacturing practices, undertaken by an experienced and demonstrably competent product safety auditor.
demonstrate the competency of the auditor
confirm that the scope of the audit includes product safety, traceability, HACCP review and good manufacturing practices
obtain and review a copy of the full audit report
The questionnaire shall have a scope that includes product safety, traceability, HACCP review and good manufacturing practices, and it shall have been reviewed and verified by a demonstrably competent person.
3.5.1.3 There shall be a documented process for ongoing supplier performance review, based on risk and defined performance criteria. The process shall be fully implemented.
Where approval is based on questionnaires, these shall be reissued at least every 3 years and suppliers shall be required to notify the site of any significant changes in the interim, including any change in certification status.
Records of the review shall be kept.
3.5.1.4 The site shall have an up-to-date list or database of approved suppliers. This may be on paper (hard copy) or it may be controlled on an electronic system.
The list or relevant components of the database shall be readily available to the relevant staff (e.g. at goods receipt).
3.5.1.5 Where raw materials (including primary packaging) are purchased from companies that are not the manufacturer, packer or consolidator (e.g. purchased from an agent, broker or wholesaler), the site shall know the identity of the last manufacturer or
Information to enable the approval of the manufacturer, packer or consolidator, as in clauses 3.5.1.1 and 3.5.1.2, shall be obtained from the agent/broker or directly from the supplier, unless the agent/broker is themselves certificated to a BRC Standard
3.5.1.6 The company shall ensure that its suppliers of raw materials (including primary packaging) have an effective traceability system. Where a supplier has been approved based on a questionnaire instead of certification or audit, verification of the su
Where a raw material is received directly from a farm or fish farm, further verification of the farm’s traceability system is not mandatory.
3.5.1.7 The procedures shall define how exceptions to the supplier approval processes in clause 3.5.1.2 are handled
and instead product testing is used to verify product quality and safety.
When a site produces customer branded product, the customer shall be made aware of the relevant exceptions.
product sampling and testing
visual inspection on receipt
certificates of analysis (specific to the consignment)
certificates of conformance.
A list of raw materials (including primary packaging) and the requirements to be met for acceptance shall be available. The parameters for acceptance and frequency of testing shall be clearly defined, implemented and reviewed.
For example, when labels or printed packaging have been amended, only the correct version should be accepted and released into production.
3.5.2.3 Where the site is in receipt of live animals, there shall be an inspection by a suitably competent individual at lairage and post mortem to ensure that the animals are fit for human consumption.
contracted servicing and maintenance of equipment
transport and distribution
off-site storage of ingredients, packaging or products
off-site packing of products
risk to the safety and quality of products
compliance with any specific legal requirements
potential risks to the security of the product (i.e. risks identified in the vulnerability and food defence assessments).
3.5.3.2 Contracts or formal agreements shall exist with the suppliers of services that clearly define service expectations and ensure that the potential food safety risks associated with the service have been addressed.
3.5.4 Management of outsourced processing
3.5.4.1 The company shall be able to demonstrate that, where part of the production process or any part of the final packing is outsourced and undertaken off-site, this has been declared to the brand owner and, where required, approval granted.
3.5.4.2 The company shall ensure that outsourced processors are approved and monitored, to ensure that they effectively manage risks to product safety and quality and are operating effective traceability processes.
a valid certification to the applicable BRC Global Standard or GFSI-benchmarked standard. The scope of the certification shall include the raw materials purchased
supplier audits, with a scope to include product safety, traceability, HACCP review and good manufacturing practices, undertaken by an experienced and demonstrably competent product safety auditor.
demonstrate the competency of the auditor
confirm that the scope of the audit includes product safety, traceability, HACCP review and good manufacturing practices
obtain and review a copy of the full audit report.
be undertaken in accordance with established contracts which clearly define any processing and/or packing requirements and product specification
maintain product trace ability.
3.5.4.4 The company shall establish inspection and test procedures for products where part of the processing has been outsourced, including visual, chemical and/or microbiological testing.
The frequency and methods of inspection or testing shall depend on risk assessment.
The specifications shall include defined limits for relevant attributes of the material which may affect the quality or safety of the final products (e.g. chemical, microbiological or physical standards).
3.6.2 Accurate, up-to-date specifications shall be available for all finished products. These may be in the form of a printed or electronic document, or part of an online specification system.
They shall include key data to meet customer and legal requirements and assist the user in the safe usage of the product.
Where specifications are not formally agreed then the company shall be able to demonstrate that it has taken steps to ensure formal agreement is in place.
3.6.4 Specification review shall be sufficiently frequent to ensure that data is current or at a minimum every 3 years, taking into account product changes, suppliers, regulations and other risks.
Reviews and changes shall be documented.
3.7.1 The site shall have a procedure for handling and correcting failures identified in the food safety and quality management system.
clear documentation of the nonconformity
assessment of consequences by a suitably competent and authorized person
the action to address the immediate issue
an appropriate timescale for correction
the person responsible for correction
verification that the correction has been implemented and is effective.
analysis of non-conformists for trends shows there has been a significant increase in a type of non-conformity
a non-conformity places the safety, legality or quality of a product at risk.
3.8.1 There shall be procedures for managing non-conforming products. These procedures shall include:
clear identification of a nonconforming product (e.g. direct labeling or the use of IT systems)
secure storage to prevent accidental release (e.g. physical or computer-based isolation)
referral to the brand owner where required
defined responsibilities for decision-making on the use or disposal of products appropriate to the issue (e.g. destruction, reworking, downgrading to an alternative label or acceptance by concession)
records of the decision on the use or disposal of the product
how the trace ability system works
the labeling and records required.
3.9.2 Identification of raw materials (including primary packaging), intermediate/semi-processed products, part-used materials, finished products and materials pending investigation shall be adequate to ensure traceability.
3.9.3 The site shall test the trace ability system across the range of product groups to ensure traceability can be determined from the supplier of raw material (including primary packaging) to the finished product and vice versa, including quantity check
The test shall occur at a predetermined frequency, at a minimum annually, and results shall be retained for inspection. Traceability should be achievable within 4 hours.
3.9.4 Where rework or any reworking operation is performed, trace ability shall be maintained.
Actions appropriate to the seriousness and frequency of the problems identified shall be carried out promptly and effectively by appropriately trained staff.
3.10.2 Complaint data shall be analysed for significant trends. Where there has been a significant increase in a complaint or a serious complaint, root cause analysis shall be used to implement ongoing improvements to product safety, legality and quality,
disruption to key services such as water, energy, transport, refrigeration processes, staff availability and communications
events such as fire, flood or natural disaster
malicious contamination or sabotage
failure of, or attacks against, digital cyber-security.
identification of key personnel constituting the recall management team, with clearly identified responsibilities
guidelines for deciding whether a product needs to be recalled or withdrawn and the records to be maintained
an up-to-date list of key contacts (including out-of-hours contact details) or reference to the location of such a list (e.g. recall management team, emergency services, suppliers, customers, certification body, regulatory authority)
a communication plan including the provision of information to customers, consumers and regulatory authorities in a timely manner
details of external agencies providing advice and support as necessary (e.g. specialist laboratories, regulatory authority and legal expertise)
a plan to handle the logistics of product traceability, recovery or disposal of affected product, and stock reconciliation
a plan to record timings of key activities
a plan to conduct root cause analysis and to implement ongoing improvements, to avoid recurrence.
The results of the test and of any actual recall shall be used to review the procedure and implement improvements as necessary.
3.11.4 In the event of a significant food safety incident, including a product recall or regulatory food safety nonconformity (e.g. a regulatory enforcement notice), the certification body issuing the current certificate for the site against this Standard
3.6.1 Specifications for raw materials and primary packaging shall be adequate and accurate and ensure compliance with relevant safety and legislative requirements. The specifications shall include defined limits for relevant attributes of the material wh
