BRCGS Storage & Distribution: Key Requirements and Benefits for Your Business
The BRCGS Storage and Distribution Standard sets a benchmark for best practices in storage and distribution at every stage of the supply chain. Choosing to pursue certification requires weighing its rigorous criteria against the significant benefits it offers.
This article provides an overview of the BRCGS Storage and Distribution Standard, detailing its scope, the benefits of certification, and key requirements to ensure compliance. By understanding what the standard entails, you can confidently determine its relevance to your business and how to achieve compliance.
Principles of the BRCGS Storage and Distribution Standard
The BRCGS Storage and Distribution Standard guarantees that the quality and safety of products are preserved at every stage of logistics activities, including the transfer and storage of goods.
The latest issue of the Standard, Issue 4, was published in 2020. In particular, Issue 4 places increased emphasis on continuous improvement and on encouraging the development of a product safety culture.
All requirements laid out in the standard are based on three key principles:
Senior Management Commitment: This principle emphasizes the crucial role of senior management in the successful implementation of the Standard. This commitment is foundational, requiring the backing of the entire management team for effective execution.
A Risk-Based System: Through a defined hazard and risk analysis process, potential risks must be identified and managed, either by existing programs like pest control or by introducing specific controls.
Quality Management System and Suitable Operating Conditions: The Standard mandates the development of a documented management system that ensures safe operating conditions across facilities. This system provides a structured framework to consistently apply management policies and the results of risk assessments.
Who Does the Standard Apply To?
The BRCGS Storage and Distribution Standard is designed for a broad spectrum of logistics operations across industries, including food, packaging, and consumer products. The Standard can be applied to Storage and Distribution operations at any point in the chain, from primary production to retail. This includes:
Distribution: Companies that distribute goods via:
Road
Rail
Air freight
Ship
Storage: Companies that store goods at any point in the supply chain, including but not limited to:
From the farm to the processor
Warehouse facilities to retail depots
From the store to the final consumer, including internet shipping operations
Before beginning your certification process, it is important to make sure you are eligible, as there are some activities considered outside the scope (for example, when customers, not the distributor, carry out the loading or unloading of vehicles). A certifying body like QIMA/WQS can help you determine eligibility.
Benefits of Certification
Achieving certification under the BRCGS Storage and Distribution Standard offers numerous advantages, reinforcing safety, efficiency, and credibility in logistics operations.
Flexible Scope: Operations can tailor their certification to include Additional Modules (AMs). AMs are a customizable extension of the BRCGS standard that allow a business to include specific industry practices, enhancing supply chain assurance.
AMs may cover:
E-commerce
Cross-docking
Wholesale
Contracted packing
Inspection and waste management
Enhanced Safety: Implementing the Standard minimizes safety risks to the consumer. For example, the Standard ensures distributors maintain proper temperature control for the transport of temperature-sensitive items.
Global Recognition: The Standard's growing popularity, with a 16% annual increase in certified sites across over 50 countries, showcases its global acceptance. Certification demonstrates adherence to industry best practices and a commitment to developing a product safety culture.
Efficiency Improvements: The Standard helps in refining operational processes, leading to enhanced efficiency and productivity within the supply chain. For example, certification may lead to reduced loading and unloading times due to improved warehouse management practices and clearer communication protocols.
Regulatory Compliance: Compliance with the BRCGS Standard ensures alignment with Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) 2020 requirements and accreditation to ISO/IEC 17065 standards, aiding in meeting regulatory and customer expectations.
Key Requirements of the Standard
Part II of the Standard lays out the key requirements to achieve certification:
Senior Management Commitment: Emphasizes the need for senior management to fully commit to implementing the standards, including providing adequate resources, establishing and maintaining a product safety and quality culture, and setting clear objectives.
Hazard and Risk Analysis: Requires a comprehensive product safety plan based on hazard and risk analysis (HARA) principles or the Codex Alimentarius General Principles of Food Hygiene. (In the food industry, this is the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points [HACCP] principles).
Product Safety and Quality Management System: Outlines the necessity of documenting procedures and processes to demonstrate compliance, and lays out how to manage documentation effectively, maintain records to demonstrate control of product safety, conduct incident management, handle complaints, and more.
Site and Building Standards: Specifies requirements for the site location, construction layout, maintenance, security, receiving, handling, storage, and shipping areas to ensure they provide protection against product contamination and promote product safety and quality.
Vehicle Operating Standards: Details the standards for vehicles used in transportation, including maintenance, cleanliness, load security, and temperature controls, ensuring they are suitable for their purpose.
Facility Management: Covers the management and maintenance of equipment, calibration of measuring devices, housekeeping, waste disposal, and pest management to support the operational efficiency and safety of the facility.
Good Operating Practices: Highlights best practices for receipt of goods, product handling, environment control, management of allergens, stock rotation, and product release to ensure the ongoing safety and quality of products.
Personnel: Stresses the importance of training and competency, personal hygiene, and having an organizational structure that ensures clarity in roles and responsibilities concerning product safety, legality, and quality.
Handling of Open Food Products: Addresses additional requirements for operations handling open food products, ensuring controls are in place to prevent pathogenic contamination and maintain product safety.
These requirements apply generally across a wide variety of operations. For specific industries, you can choose to add Additional Modules as discussed above.
The BRCGS Audit
Before certification is granted (and annually thereafter), an audit is required to assess the level of compliance with the BRCGS Storage and Distribution Standard. This audit provides a systematic review of your organization's adherence to the outlined requirements. Detailed guidelines and requirements for these audits, including preparation, execution, and follow-up actions, are thoroughly explained in Part III of the Standard's documentation.
There are four audit protocol options available. The audit can be either a single site visit, or a blended two-part audit with an off-site remote document review and on-site audit. For each format, the facility can choose the announced or the unannounced audit option.
However, even with the announced option, the audit will be unannounced every three years. This is a requirement of all Certification Programs benchmarked to the Global Food Safety Initiative.
An experienced certifying body like QIMA/WQS can help you pick the appropriate audit protocol for your operations.
Partner with QIMA/WQS for Your BRCGS Storage and Distribution Certification
QIMA/WQS offers BRCGS audit and certification services for the BRCGS Storage and Distribution Standard, ensuring your business meets the rigorous requirements set forth. Our in-depth understanding of the BRCGS standards, combined with a team of expert auditors specializing in the complexities of storage and distribution, ensures your operation achieves and maintains certification.
Contact us to learn more about BRCGS certification or book an audit today to enhance your supply chain's safety, efficiency, and credibility.
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