Companies entering the BRC certification process can find a directory of licensed certification bodies with KPI ratings noted on the BRC’s website. The BRC promotes competency, professionalism, and consistency among its CBs with this rating scheme. The SQF Institute also provides a list of licensed and accredited CBs.
After a facility chooses a certification body, the CB begins the administrative and technical activities that result in the granting of a certificate. It’s important to note that while BRC and SQF food safety standards dominate the market in the U.S., other GFSI-benchmarked standards are also selected by food manufacturers, and each has its own history, features, and emphasis. Some retailers specify to their suppliers which certification to obtain. If there’s no specified choice, companies generally select the food safety standard that best fits with their position in the supply chain, their corporate culture, and their existing QA systems and staffing.
Once the food safety standard is determined, the CB assists the client in completing the application for certification. The completed application is used to determine the following:
- Products and processes (scope) of the certification;
- Appropriate food category as listed in the standard;
- Duration of the on-site audit;
- Audit date(s); and
- Appropriate registered auditor in your specified food category.
An essential component of the service provided to each client by its CB is the calculation of the amount of time an auditor spends onsite. For a client to receive the maximum benefit from the certification process, the duration of the audit must be optimized to fit each unique set of circumstances.
Prior to January 2011, each CB performed the calculation based on its own internal set of guidelines. Recently, the BRC introduced a standardized methodology to ensure that each client has the auditor onsite for an appropriate amount of time.
Under the new BRC guidelines, the three basic indicators used to determine audit duration are the number of employees per main shift, the size of the facility, and the number of HACCP studies. In addition, there is a list of “correction factors” that can increase or decrease audit length. Some of these are the complexity of the manufacturing process, the labor-intensity of the manufacturing process, and the number of product lines.
When the application and audit process are finalized, the CB will require the client to complete a certification agreement. The agreement provides information detailing the certification process and all requirements for certification. The certification process is time sensitive, and its success depends partly on the food manufacturer, and partly upon the performance of the CB and the auditor. While no one can guarantee a painless process, working with a five star-rated certification body with proven expertise will create a smoother, more valuable experience for the facility.
The Future
How is GFSI evolving? The sixth edition of the GFSI Guidance Document (January 2011) offers a preview. This new edition provides for the “expansion of the document to cover primary production and processing in a more robust way, taking a scope specific approach to cover eventually all parts of the food supply chain. It has also been recognized that food safety requirements differ between the various parts of the food supply chain, and an exhaustive exercise was undertaken with sector-specific experts to define the food safety management system, Good Practice (GAP, GMP) and HACCP requirement in a number of industry scopes.”
GFSI plans to broaden its benchmarking to include all areas within the food chain. New guidance documents are in place for feed, packaging, and animal handling. More areas will follow: storage and distribution, equipment manufacturing, catering, retail, and brokers. As food manufacturers expand their certification beyond processing, greater confidence in the entire food chain is emerging.
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