The British Retail Consortium (BRC) is the lead trade association for the entire retail industry, see http://www.brc.org.uk/brc_home.asp. The BRC works with Government to create the right conditions for growth and innovation, we champion great careers and we promote responsible retail’s vital role in the community. They have programs on reducing waste energy and on building trust and transparency in the supply chain.
BRC Global Standards (http://www.brcglobalstandards.com/) is a leading safety and quality certification program, used by over 22,000 certificated suppliers in 123 countries, with certification issued through a worldwide network of accredited certification bodies.
The Standards guarantee the standardisation of quality, safety and operational criteria and ensure that manufacturers fulfil their legal obligations and provide protection for the end consumer. BRC Global Standards are now often a fundamental requirement of leading retailers.
BRC Global Standards has announced a publication date of January 2015 for the seventh issue of its internationally recognised Global Standard Food Safety. Issue 7 will focus on:
- ensuring consistency of the audit process
- providing a Standard that is flexible enough to allow voluntary modules to reduce the audit burden
- encouraging systems to reduce exposure to fraud
- promoting greater transparency and traceability in the supply chain
- encouraging adoption of the Standard in small sites and facilities where processes are still in development.
Food exported to Europe may well need to comply with this new Standard.