AsureQuality highlights looming changes to BRC standards

AsureQuality, the most qualified and internationally accredited supplier of food safety and biosecurity in the Southern Hemisphere, is urging companies that export all food and food related products to the U.K and beyond, to keep abreast of the new changes to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) standards. 

AsureQuality has been an approved Certification Body to BRC since its inception.

The BRC currently has four standards, two of which (Food and Packaging) have had substantial amendments which will change the way NZ food companies including fresh fruit, vegetables and meat products ultimately get onto the shelf in British supermarkets and beyond.

The new Global Standard for Food Safety Issue 5 comes into effect on the 1st of July.

To ensure our auditors fully understand and apply the new changes, AsureQuality sent technical expert Prem Lakshman to the UK where he completed the “train the trainer” course and attended a BRC workshop.

AsureQuality’s General Manager Hans Verberne says sending Mr Lakshman to meet the key players has helped cement AsureQuality’s position as being the leader in delivering the BRC programme requirements in Australasia.

“To support customers AsureQuality has sent letters informing them of the changes and offering workshops for clients to get a handle on the fairly complex changes and new conditions.”

“However, AsureQuality is committed to working with customers old and new, so they can understand the changes and successfully keep delivering products to their international markets,” Mr Verberne said.

The key changes include changes to the grading scheme, optional unannounced audits, reporting formats, requirement clauses, which now comprise some 326 clauses, up from the 270 currently used in the Food Safety Standard Issue 4.

Particular reference is being made to the following requirement clauses:
• Management Commitment and Continual Improvement (clause1),
• the Food Safety Plan - HACCP (Clause 2),
• Management of Incidents, Product Withdrawal and Product Recall (clause 3.11),
• Site Security (clause 4.2) and
• Chemical and Physical Contamination Control (clause 4.8)

“Our AsureQuality technical awareness seminars planned for the middle of the year will reiterate some of these changes and what they mean when our customers are conducting business with their customers who require BRC certification,” said Mr Verberne.

It’s also important to note that AsureQuality will continue to audit to BRC Food Standard Issue 4 until 30th June 2008, however come 1st July 2008 all new changes come into effect and the company is required to audit to Issue 5 thereafter.

“It’s extremely important that our customers know we are working with them to help them understand and adopt the new changes,” said Mr Verberne.