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BRC Global Standards
Summary

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) is a UK trade association representing the whole range of retailers, selling a wide selection of products. The BRC Global Standards is an inspection protocol used by British retailers. In addition to the aspects related to environment, process and personnel, BRC integrates HACCP principles for analyzing and mastering hygiene hazards concerning food products.

Objective  Is the focus of the standard on economic, social, environmental, food safety or organic issues?
 Food safety:
To promote confidence in food safety and quality systems operated by food manufacturers.
Why?  Who is asking you to use this system? Is it a market requirement or a voluntary system?
 Voluntary system asked for by British and European retailers particularly for own brand and weaker branded products sold through major retailers.
Scope of the standard  What kind of processes within your organisation/company should be changed according to the standard’s criteria? Most systems look at the production process, and/or look at the processing of the produce. Some systems look at organisational processes as well, e.g. if democratic structures are in place, how support departments are organized (HRM/financial), if internal control systems are in place, if ILO labour conditions are implemented, etcetera. Additionally the processes of your suppliers or service provider can be part of the standards’ scope as well. This means that you are responsible for the sustainability of their (or part of their) actions as well.
organisational processes N
(on-farm) production N
processing Y: packaging, identity preserved non-genetically modified food ingredients, consumer products, storage and distribution.
supplier/service provider N
Who can apply?  Not every code or standard can be used by every actor within the supply chain. Some are just targeted to a specific group within the chain, others focus on the complete chain. You can think of the following parties: producers/producer group, processor, exporter/trader, importer, retailer.  
producers/producer groups Food supplier company
processor Food supplier company
exporter/trader N
importer N
retail N
Products  Most systems focus on specific products, product groups or sectors. Please look carefully if you produce falls under the scope of the standard.
 Food
Markets  Although most systems are used worldwide, they often have their origin or focus in a specific country or region. Some countries/regions prefer a certain code or standard.
 UK market (following UK food safety act) Internationally recognised and used across Europe,the US and Australia.
Accepted by retailers like Carrefour, Metro, Ahold, Walmart.
Benefits  A very legitimate question is what this specific certification means to you. Does it provide you access to markets, or even to niche markets? Does it guarantee a better price, or maybe even a premium on top of a minimum price? Does it create better access to support services?  
market access Y: Promotes confidence for buyers. Essential for some retailers' own labels.
Access to EU market: you need to have BRC, HACCP or ISO22000 in place when you want to export to EU.
access to niche market Y
premium Y
other Y
Support services  To be able to comply with the requirements of such systems, you may need some support. Various experts in the field of certification are available and can give this (paid/free) support. Training, Audit standards, Consulltants
Adaptations/investments   The use of this standard requires the adoption and implementation of HACCP principles, and the setting up of a documented and effective quality management.
Costs & Time  Working with these certification systems and implementing the necessary steps is often not an easy task. You have to be aware of the many implications and adaptations you may have to make. This section gives some examples of the kind of investments you to have to think of. Costs are based on company size, scope and complexity of operation. The cost structure is also based on the minimum audit time on site. It is therefore difficult to state exact fees in advance. Costs differs from certifier to certifier. Ask for quotations and compare prices/services.
System characteristics  In this section you will find a link to the standard itself and some main points of attention.
 BRC is an certification standard originated by British retailers but now adopted through Europe. In addition to the aspects related to environment, process and personnel, BRC integrates HACCP principles for analysing and mastering hygiene hazards concerning food products. For BRC Global Standards click here
Verification    
internal inspection Internal audit cycle necessary before external verification.
external inspection Application of the BRC Global standard requires certification by a third party that is ISO 65 accredited. For an overview of certification bodies click here
Type of label  One of ways to show that a product complies with a specific standard is to label it. Some codes or standards do not use a label at all. Nevertheless, most choose to carry a Business to Business (B2B) or a Consumer label.
 B2B
Who's behind it?  What is the origin of the standard, and who has initiated the idea? Who is the owner of the certification system?
 UK retail industry
Trends  The trend section is mainly based on future perspectives of the standard. Are they going to expand to other products, other markets? Is there increasing interest from markets for this specific certification? What can you expect in the coming period?
 The latest version of the standard was published in January 2008 and will be in use from July 2008.
Contact Matthew Perry
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