All BRC audits are conducted by approved third-party CBs and their performance is formally reviewed every six months.
Concerns have been reported about the competence of auditors employed by some CBs who inspect third-party food safety schemes. Last September the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), which is the umbrella body for around 12 food safety schemes, announced it was setting up a working group to address the thorny issue.
"The work plan for 2011 will focus on technical food safety competencies," Bill McBride, md of Foodlink Management Services, based in Australia, and chairman of the GFSI's working group, told a global food safety conference in London organised by the Consumer Goods Forum earlier this year.
BRC is assessing five key areas: the quality of written audit reports; compliance to protocols; auditor registration and compliance relating to training, experience and competence; speed of upload of audit data to the BRC Directory; and CB communication with the BRC.
Each CB is awarded a star rating. This is now published as part of the CB listing at www.brcdirectory.com. The latest results were completed at the end of July and, as a result, several CBs were suspended.
Key features of the BRC's sixth edition of its Global Standard are: an increased emphasis on good manufacturing practices; reduced need for multiple customer audits; more detailed prescription around key issues to improve consistency; outcome-based statements of intent; enhanced unannounced audit scheme making this more accessible; a new enrolment process providing a framework for food safety improvement; and, significantly, new training to ensure a consistent BRC audit approach.
Prior to publication of the sixth edition, BRC technical director David Brackston said: "Issue 6 has been based on the values of the previous versions while ensuring that the update reflects the latest best practice 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."
Food Manufacture, in association with the Institute of Food Science & Technology, is organising a one-day food safety conference at the National Motorcycle Museum on November 23. For further details visit: www.foodmanevents.co.uk