BRCGS, built so it holds up on audit day.
We get manufacturers ready for BRCGS Food Safety, and importers, traders and brokers ready for BRCGS Agents & Brokers. The system is written around how your business actually runs, so your team can keep it going after the audit.
- Typical timeline from scratch
- 3 to 6 months
- Standards we prepare you for
- Food Safety, and Agents & Brokers
- Our BRCGS clients' grades
- Every one achieved AA or A
Two standards, two different businesses
BRCGS Food Safety covers sites that make, pack or process food. Agents & Brokers covers businesses that buy and sell food without ever handling it. Most of the work is different, so we treat them separately.
BRCGS Food Safety
For manufacturers, processors and packers: bakeries, ready meals, meat and dairy, drinks, and anyone packing food under their own or a customer's label.
- Senior management commitment
- Food safety culture plan, objectives, management review and the confidential reporting system auditors ask about.
- HACCP plan
- A multidisciplinary HACCP team, process flows verified on the floor, hazard analysis, CCPs, validation and verification.
- Food safety and quality management system
- Document control, internal audits, supplier and raw material approval, specifications, corrective action, traceability, and incident and recall management.
- Site standards
- Layout and product flow, fabrication, equipment, maintenance, cleaning, pest management, foreign body controls and site security.
- Product and process control
- Allergen management, product authenticity and food fraud, labelling and pack control, product testing, and shelf life.
- Personnel
- Training records, personal hygiene rules, medical screening, protective clothing and competence for key roles.
BRCGS Agents & Brokers
For importers, exporters, traders, agents and brokers who buy, sell or arrange food but don't make, pack or store it themselves.
- Food safety plan
- A HACCP-based plan for the products you trade, including the hazards that come from your suppliers and the routes the goods take.
- Supplier and product approval
- Risk-based approval of manufacturers and packers, audits or certificates on file, and ongoing performance monitoring.
- Specifications
- Agreed product specifications with every supplier and customer, including allergens, labelling and legal limits.
- Traceability
- Lot tracking from origin to customer that you can prove with a traceability test, even though the goods never pass through your hands.
- Incidents, withdrawals and recalls
- A procedure that works with your suppliers, hauliers and customers, tested at least once a year.
- Food fraud and authenticity
- Vulnerability assessments for the raw materials and origins you trade, plus the testing to back them up.
Not sure BRCGS is right yet? Many smaller producers start with SALSA, which many local and regional buyers accept, and move up to BRCGS later.
When BRCGS clients usually call us
Most BRCGS work starts with a customer, a deadline or a bad audit.
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A retailer or wholesaler has asked for a BRCGS certificate.
We confirm which standard and scope they need, then plan the work backwards from the date they gave you.
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Your audit is a few weeks away and you are not ready.
We check every clause against what you already have and fix the gaps that would lead to major findings first.
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Your last audit went badly.
We go through the report, get the non-conformities closed with proper root-cause analysis, and fix what caused the low grade.
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Your technical manager has left.
We keep the system running, handle the audit and train whoever takes over.
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You import food and your customers want Agents & Brokers.
We build supplier approval, specifications and traceability around the suppliers and hauliers you already use.
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You want to move from SALSA to BRCGS.
We use the SALSA system as the starting point and add what BRCGS asks for, rather than starting again.
How we get you certified
Every piece of work has a fixed quote agreed before we start.
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Gap analysis
We audit your site and records against the standard, clause by clause, just as a certification body auditor would.
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Action plan and quote
A prioritised list of what to fix, who does it and by when, plus a fixed price for our part.
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Build the system
Procedures, HACCP, records and training, written with your team so they fit the way you already work.
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Mock audit
A full audit a few weeks before the real one, so there are no surprises on the day.
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Audit day and close-out
We are on hand on the day and help you close out any non-conformities within the deadline.
Questions
Something else? Ask us directly.
Do you carry out the certification audit?
No. The audit is carried out by an independent certification body that you choose and pay directly. We get you ready for it, and we can recommend certification bodies that cover your product category.
How long does it take to get BRCGS certified?
For a site starting from scratch, three to six months is typical. If you already have SALSA or a working HACCP system, it can be quicker. The gap analysis gives you a realistic date.
What are the grades?
Food Safety audits are graded from AA down to D, depending on the number and seriousness of non-conformities. Unannounced audits are graded with a +, such as AA+. The grade affects how often you are audited, and many customers ask for a minimum grade. Every client we have supported through BRCGS has achieved grade AA or A.
Should we choose announced or unannounced audits?
Unannounced audits show customers that your standards hold every day, and some retailers prefer them. They only work if the system is truly embedded. We will tell you honestly whether you are ready.
We never touch the product. Do we still need a certificate?
Many customers still expect one. BRCGS Agents & Brokers was written for exactly this, and it covers the controls you have over your suppliers, specifications, traceability and incidents.
Can you stay on after the audit?
Yes. Many clients keep us on a retained basis for internal audits, supplier approvals, annual HACCP reviews and next year's audit.
Ready to plan your BRCGS audit?
Tell us your deadline and which standard your customer asked for. The first call is free, and we will tell you plainly what it will take.