BRCGS Food Issue 9 / V9 Basic Changes

BRCGS published its first technical standard, BRC Food, for the first time in 1998 by the world's leading retailers who want to ensure compliance with food safety standards throughout the supply chain. In the past 24 years, the BRCGS standard has been revised 9 times, and the last revision was published on August 1, 2022.

BRCGS Certified businesses will have six months to upgrade to the new issue. As of February 1, 2023, all BRCGS Certified businesses will have to be audited from BRCGS food Issue 9. Businesses that have a renewal inspection or will be inspected for the first time until this date will be responsible for the new issue, BRCGS food Issue 9, one year after the date of inspection, if they receive an A or B grade.

BRCGS Food Issue 9 Basic Changes in Chapter One:

• BRCGS Food Issue 9 Fundamental: Food safety and quality culture has been added to its content.
• BRCGS Food Issue 9 In addition to food safety, quality and legality, authenticity is now mentioned.
• BRCGS Food Issue 9 Substance 1.1.1: A reference to food safety and quality culture has been added to the food safety policy.
• Substance 1.1.2: For a significant change in food safety and quality culture, what should be in the food safety and quality culture plan is detailed. An annual review and update is clearly defined in the food safety and quality culture plan.
• • Substance 1.1.11: During the inspection of the food safety and quality culture item, a member of the senior management team was required to be present in the field.
• BRCGS Food Issue 9 Substance 1.2.3: The matter of transmitting unsafe or out-of-specification products, packaging, equipment and inputs to a specific manager has been changed into a direct substance while in another substance, and its importance has been increased.
• • Substance 1.2.4: If the facility does not have sufficient in-house information about food safety, authenticity, compliance with the law or its quality, the item that can use external expertise is made into an item on its own, and its importance is increased.

BRCGS Food Issue 9 Basic Changes in Chapter Two:

• BRCGS Food Issue 9 Substance 2.2.1: In the prerequisite program substance, reference is made to the relevant Substance of the standard for each prerequisite.
• BRCGS Food Issue 9 Substance 2.3.2: Additional references have been added to gather all the necessary information needed to carry out the hazard analysis.
• BRCGS Food Issue 9 Substance 2.7.4: The article "In cases where the control of a food safety hazard is provided through prerequisite programs, this should be stated and the adequacy of the program to control a particular hazard should be validated" was made a single item when it was in another article, and its importance was increased.
• BRCGS Food Issue 9 Substance 2.12: Validation of haccp plan has been added to its title
• Substance 2.12.1: With the new addition of this clause, the importance of validating changes in HACCP and food safety plans before they are implemented has been clarified.
• Substance 2.14, which was a revision of the HACCP plan in the Old issue, has been removed in BRCGS V9.

BRCGS Food Issue 9 Basic Changes in Chapter Three:

• BRCGS Food Issue 9 Substance 3.4.3: A summary of internal audit results will be reviewed at management review meetings (see item 1.1.4).
• BRCGS Food Issue 9 Substance 3.5.1.2: The items to be checked within the scope of supplier audit have been expanded.
• Substance 3.5.3.3: Performance review and records of service providers based on risk and defined performance criteria have been added as a separate item.
• BRCGS Food Issue 9 Substance 3.5.1: A detailed requirement explanation has been added before moving on to the outsourced process materials.
• Substance 3.5.4.2: The subjects to be controlled within the scope of outsourced supplier audits have been expanded.
• Substance 3.5.4.3: Where any process, including production, manufacturing, processing or storage, is outsourced, risks to product safety, authenticity and compliance will form part of the facility's food safety plan (HACCP plan).
• BRCGS Food Issue 9 Substance 3.5.4.4: Added. A service specification similar to the finished product specification will be created for the outsourced process. This will include any special handling requirements for the products.
• Substance 3.6.1: It has been clarified that allergens must be defined in the specifications.
• BRCGS Food Issue 9 Substance 3.7.1: Corrective and preventive action procedure will include completion of root cause analysis and implementation of preventive action.
• Substance 3.7.3: The separate article defined as the facility will have a procedure to complete root cause analysis has been cancelled.
• BRCGS Food Issue 9 Substance 3.11.4: In case of a real recall, the certification body will be   informed within 3 working days, additional requirements have been added to the substance.

BRCGS Food Issue 9 Basic Changes in Chapter Four

• BRCGS Food Issue 9 Substance 4.1.4: The requirements for controlling the entrance of personnel, subcontractors and visitors to the facility, allowing only authorized personnel to enter the production and storage areas, and training on safety procedures have been combined under this article and this article has been added.
• Substance 4.2.1: The clause describing the requirements for the person and team involved in threat assessments and food defense plans has been newly added.
• BRCGS Food Issue 9 Substance 4.3.1: This item has been added under the title of location, product flow and separation and it is stated that the facility will evaluate the production risk areas required for the products produced, processed or packaged in the field, using the definitions in Annex 2 of the Standard.
• Substance 4.3.2: Additions have been made to what should be in the facility layout plan.
• Substance 4.4.11: Regarding plastic strip curtains, this article has just been added.
• 4.6 While the article about the equipment was 3 items in the old issue, these items were canceled and this section was detailed again to have a total of seven items.
• Substance 4.9.5.1: The requirements for food contact wood are detailed.
• Substance 4.9.6.2: Requirements have been added for portable, hand-held equipment, eg stationery (pens, pencils, etc.), mobile phones, tablets and similar portable items used in open product areas.
• Substance 4.9.6.3: Based on the risk, procedures will be implemented to minimize other types of foreign body contamination.
• Substance 4.10.3.5: A separate article regarding the use of X-ray has been defined.
• If shipping and transportation is outsourced to a subcontractor, additional requirements for subcontractor approval are defined.

BRCGS Food Issue 9 Basic Changes in Chapter Five

• BRCGS Food Issue 9 5.3 A detailed requirement statement has been added before moving on to the allergen management items.
• Substance 5.3.1: In cases where the personnel is included in the vulnerability assessment, an additional article regarding the responsible person or team has been added.
• Substance 5.4.3: The circumstances under which the adulteration and substitution plan will be reviewed have been added and detailed.
• Substance 5.4.7: The clause regarding the validation of the product claim has been added to the new issue.
• Substance 5.6 The title was changed to product inspection, on-site product controls and laboratory analyzes, and sub-items 5.6.1 and 5.6.2 were combined and all requirements were gathered under the title 5.6.
• Substance 5.9: Requirements for facilities where animals are first processed (eg, meat slaughterhouse, poultry slaughterhouse or fish processing plant) have been added to the new issue under this article.

BRCGS Food Issue 9 Basic Changes in Chapter Six:

• BRCGS Food Issue 9 Substance 6.1.7: A new issuea clause has been added regarding the situation in which a facility's products or materials that are outside the scope of the inspection are handled.

BRCGS Food Issue 9 Basic Changes in Chapter Seven:

BRCGS Food Issue 9 In the seventh chapter, no fundamental changes were made, except for the clarifications in the items.

BRCGS Food Issue 9 Basic Changes in Chapter Eight:

• BRCGS Food Issue 9 Substance 8.1.1: Simplified in new issue
• Substance 8.2.3: Requirements for removable walls have been added to the new issue.
• Substance 8.3 The title of the article was changed to equipment and maintenance and equipment was added.
• Substance 8.5.1: The article on cleaning in high-attention/high-risk areas has also undergone a significant simplification and content change from the previous issue.
• Substance 8.5.4: A new article about CIP has been added.

 BRCGS Food Issue 9 Basic Changes in Chapter Nine:

• BRCGS Food Issue 9 A detailed requirement explanation is added before moving on to the standard items of traded products.
• Substance 9.1: A single item has been added in the food safety plan – HACCP heading.
• Substance 9.6.1: The facility's traceability procedure (see item 3.9.1) will include details of the system used for traceability of traded products.

Resources:

• BRCGS Issue 8 standard
• BRCGS Issue 9 standard

Prepared By:

Sibel Taşhan Yurtseven