UK-based retail industry body the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has announced that it will publish the sixth edition of its Global Standard for Food Safety next month, with audits using the revised guidelines set to begin from January 2012.
Key features of the new version will include an increased emphasis on good manufacturing practices, a reduced need for multiple customer audits and more detailed prescriptive requirements around key issues to improve consistency.
The organisation said there would also be a new enrolment process to provide a framework for food safety improvement, while it said new auditor training would ensure a consistent BRC audit approach.
In a statement, BRC technical director David Brackston, said: “The development of Issue 6 has been based on the values of the previous versions while ensuring that the update reflects the latest best practices for instance in allergen control.
“The consultation with the users of the standard set the main focus for the rewrite which was to increase the emphasis on good manufacturing practices and encourage consistency of the audit process; we believe the working groups have achieved this aim.”
No comments yet