Key changes BRCGS Food version 9

The Brand Reputation Compliance Global Standards (BRCGS) published the final version of the BRCGS Food version 9 on August 1, 2022. From February 2023, the first audits according to this standard will take place, but what are the main changes?

Two key themes and main changes

Two key themes within the new version of the BRCGS standard are developing food safety culture and building core competencies. Below we name some of the most important changes.

• The role of senior management with respect to the food safety culture plan has been articulated more concretely. For example, there are additional requirements for food safety and quality culture development, with the culture plan to be reviewed at least annually.
• There is an expansion of requirements for prior validation of equipment modifications and commissioning of new equipment. Want to know more about this? Check out our training course "Commissioning new equipment.
• In the new standard, there is an additional requirement for staff training on other control measures in addition to critical control points (CCPs).
• There is more focus on product authenticity and food defense in supplier audits.
• There are also additional requirements for internal audits and inspections to complete the internal audit program.
• In addition to substantive changes, there are also a number of important changes to the audit protocol. For example, a number of standard elements, which were previously only tested on documentation, are now also assessed in production.
• Also new is the possibility for a announced audit to be "blended". Standards requirements related to production are then assessed on site, where relevant documentation can be assessed remotely.

Need support?

Of course, there are other important changes in the BRCGS standard version 9. Starting in the fall, Précon will organize a number of knowledge afternoons to update you on all the changes. More information or to register? Go to the training page.

Do you prefer a concrete overview of all relevant changes for your company? By having one of our consultants perform a baseline measurement, you will quickly have insight into all changes that need to be implemented within your company. Of course, Précon can also support the implementation of these changes.

In short, are you curious what the impact is for your company or are you considering working with this BRCGS standard? We would be happy to help you further. For questions or support, please contact us at +31 (0)30 - 65 66 010 or info@precongroup.com.

Update 9-1-2023: Want to learn more about BRCGS and IFS? We published a new article https://www.precongroup.com/voedselveiligheid-certificering/de-nieuwe-brcgs-en-ifs-wat-brengen-zij-ons/