10 replies to this topic

[Comandos]

Good afternoon,

I am new member here in need of a bit help. Basically my company wants import and supply UK's supermarkets with EU produced food product. And now me and the factory is a bit confused with a food standard requirements needed to do the job. My main question is, would the factory where the product is being produced need to have BRC certification if we want to supply products with our own private label to Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Lidl, Aldi and so on.I have searched through Asda and Sainsbury's supplier requirements and if I understood it right, we would only need to have BRC if we would supply them under their own retail name (e.g. Asda), is that correct? The factory currently has ISO 9001-2008 and ISO 14001:2004 and is now considering whether to apply for ISO 22000 or BRC.

Any help is much appreciated, thank you.

[GMO]

Yes there is no reason as far as I'm aware to have BRC accreditation to supply a branded product to a UK supermarket, certainly I supplied branded confectionery and dairy products without it. That said, it might be useful as a negotiation tool. I think the one thing to check is any claims etc on pack as well. I know it's not a British product but if it was 'red tractor' requires BRC accreditation, I don't know if any other accreditations do.

[Comandos]

Thank you GMO. Regarding claim on the pack, do you mean the origin where the product was produced? Is there any other certification that we would be required to have apart from ISO's? Is BRC then more focused to the companies willing to supply under supermarket's brand?

Anyone else knows anything about it or better, have experience in supplying private branded products?

[Charles.C]

Dear comandos,

So what will be the validation of the quality/safety of yr product from the receiving supermarkets’s point of view other than iso 9001/14001 ? Yr own “guarantee” ? Their audit of yr premises?

I’m not in the UK but it would seem rather easier (ie no cost ) for them to simply request yr achieving BRC certification for the relevant producer (as a starter, ie their own audit presumably comes later ). i suppose it may also depend on any leverage for the specific product you are referring, eg world-famous elsewhere.

Rgds / Charles.C

[Comandos]

Hello Charles.C,

Well the producer is big PLC company and supplies all the supermarkets back there, but has not dealt with UK market yet and therefore not really aware of the quality certification needed. As I mentioned before, they are thinking of applying for ISO 22000 and are asking whether it will be enough or BRC would be required as well and if that is the case, maybe there is no point to go for ISO 22000 and just go for BRC instead.

[Foodworker]

The real answer is yes and no!

It will depend upon who you are and how much the retailers want your product. If it is a unique and highly desirable product they will view it as purely a commercial proposition. Similarly if you are a company the size of Heinz, then it will be up to you if you choose to be certified.

If your product is much the same as others in the market then you will have to do something extra to persuade them to take your product. If you do not have a well known name, your first problem is to actually get to meet the buyer and having a recognised certification will certainly help.

In terms of due diligence, the requirements for the retailers with respect to branded, non-own label products is certainly less, but not absent. For instance, if your product is chilled and high risk, the retailers will need to be assured that you have the capability to deliver it in a safe condition and again certification can demonstrate this.

I used to work for a retailer and we used to have a set of criteria for branded product suppliers which included their certification status, but not having it did not necessarily preclude supply.

Another consideration is that the retailers sometimes take branded products from a new supplier to test the market before changing the product to their own label. In these cases certification would be required before the change.

There are some purchasers who are not as big as the retailers but still significant, such as foodservice groups. These often have certification as a requirement, regardless of branded or own brand.

[GMO]

So what will be the validation of the quality/safety of yr product from the receiving supermarkets’s point of view other than iso 9001/14001 ? Yr own “guarantee” ? Their audit of yr premises?

They have no automatic 'right' to audit your premises, however as Foodworker and I said, it can be a negotiation tool to have BRC accreditation. Certainly with imported products they may feel more wary about stocking them without a formal accreditation to a standard. That said, one of the toughest audits I've ever had was one when I was working for a confectionery brand. Not BRC or ISO certified but far tougher than any BRC, ISO or PIU audit.

If you're a big name and the supermarkets want to stock your products, then I wouldn't worry. If you're not, they could use it as an objection just to be awkward.

Perhaps the suggestion which would be most useful is to work towards BRC style 'standards' in the supplier sites if you can (there's certainly nothing wrong with BRC and IMO it's a useful tool), then, if the negotiations reach a point where they're starting to question the quality systems, then you can quickly move towards accreditation.

That said, I suspect the people deciding whether or not a product is stocked is more worried about whether you will give them a good price, shelf layout and space and their margin; food safety and quality couldn't be further from their minds.

[GMO]

In terms of due diligence, the requirements for the retailers with respect to branded, non-own label products is certainly less, but not absent. For instance, if your product is chilled and high risk, the retailers will need to be assured that you have the capability to deliver it in a safe condition and again certification can demonstrate this.

I supplied a branded dairy product to all the major retailers without BRC accreditation for a while. In fact, we only got it because we needed it for red tractor. We didn't even bother to tell the retailers when we'd got it and they never asked us for it (before or since).

[Charles.C]

Dear GMO,

They have no automatic 'right' to audit your premises

Legally you are undoubtedly correct however i can assure you that the UK receivers of products which i have worked with would simply not contemplate the possibility of being unable to personally audit their suppliers. I would also expect no less in reverse.

Rgds / Charles.C

[GMO]

True but for branded manufacturers, it's not just food safety, it's intellectual property. A branded food manufacturer does not want a supermarket knowing exactly how they make their food as they'll then go and tell their own brand suppliers. Strictly the EHO approval is all they need. BRC approval would just be for reasons of trying to strengthen your argument if you need to.

[Comandos]

Thank you all of you for your help and comments, I guess there is no definite answer to my question, as you guys said it can be either way and it depends on many things. Therefore, I guess the best thing would be to approach retailers and see what they will want.