BRC 7 Training
The BRC Global Standard for Food Manufacturers has been revised and Issue 7 was published in January 2015. The requirements are an evolution from previous issues, with a continued emphasis on management commitment, a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)-based food safety programme and supporting quality management system. The objective has been to direct the focus of the audit towards the implementation of good manufacturing practices within the production areas with increased emphasis on areas which have traditionally resulted in recalls and withdrawals (e.g. label and packing management).
The requirement for food defense, authenticity and food fraud are currently the mostly widely discussed and debated topic in the food world and at GFSI level and is now reflected in the BRC GLOBAL Standard for food safety issue 7.
Who is affected?
- All new and certified sites with planned (re)certification after July 1, 2015
- All suppliers, agents, and brokers supplying to BRC certified sites
What are the most significant changes?
Two new Fundamental Sections
- Labelling and Pack Control
BRC has formalized packaging requirements from Issue 6 and added some additional requirements in a new fundamental section to improve label and packaging control with the goal of reducing the number of recalls attributed to mislabelling.
Most notably are new requirements for formal allocation of packaging materials to the line and label verification.
- Management of Suppliers of Raw Materials and Packaging
BRC has restructured supplier approval requirements from Issue 6 and identified it as a fundamental section. Updates to supplier approval include increased requirements for supplier risk assessments and two new traceability clauses.
With the goal of increasing transparency across the supply chain and addressing traceability issues from recent food recalls in The BRC Global Standard Food Safety Issue 7 BRC will require sites to verify an effective traceability system for all suppliers AND verify traceability to the last manufacturer, packer, or grower when raw materials and packaging are purchased from an agent or broker.
Why is this significant?
Fundamental sections are designated by BRC as critical to the implementation and maintenance of an effective food safety management system. As such, major non-conformities assigned to the statement of intent of a fundamental section during an audit results in non-certification (initial audit) or withdrawal of certification (re-certification audit).
What else is new?
Product Authenticity, Claims and Chain of Custody
In response to food fraud issues in recent years, BRC is responding by adding a new section to Issue 7 with requirements to minimize the risk of BRC certified sites purchasing fraudulent or adulterated raw materials.
The new section shall require sites to have:
- Procedures in place for accessing information and developing threats to the supply chain for adulteration or substitution of raw material (www.foodfraud.org)
- Documented vulnerability assessments for all raw materials which considers historical evidence, nature of the raw material, and economic factors
- Risk mitigation where a risk is identified
High Care for Ambient Products
Also in response to food recalls, BRC has revised the High Care and High Risk guideline to require a documented risk assessment for ambient products, which support the survival of pathogenic microorganisms, to determine product risk from cross-contamination and effective measures to prevent contamination of final product.
Voluntary Modules
While not a requirement, the standard has been designed to enable the addition of voluntary modules to the routine audit. The voluntarymodule will enable sites to demonstrate compliance to specific market and customer requirements. Non-conformities for voluntary modules will not be counted against the site’s certification or grade.
Voluntary modules may include:
- Chain of custody
- Traded goods
- Food Defence
- Food for animal feed
How Can we Help ?
HACCP Australia has a BRC Approved Training Provider (ATP)Ms Ronnie Gurung who has recently upgraded her skills to BRC Global Standard for food safety Issue 7 by attending Train the Trainer course for all ATP’S held in Hong Kong. As a BRC ATP, Ronnie will be delivering a suite of BRC approved training courses and workshops from April 2015. These courses are designed to assist you in meeting your BRC Issue 7 certification objectives and are invaluable for manufacturers who are either upgrading to issue 7 or attempting BRC certification for the first time.
For more information, contact Ronnie at our Sydney office on 02 9956 6911.