Hi Chris,
I usually find the standard pretty straight forward as well and have recently attended BRC training but have been working in this field for about 9 months now so was just wondering if the Interpretation Guide was worth purchasing since no one here has purchased a copy of the guideline before.
Are you referring to the BRC Self-Assessment Tool Issue 7 word document? We have our own that matches each clause up with "Programs"/"Policies" in our company so I'm good there.
Was just wondering if the interpretation guideline provided any extra insight into what is expected for the company to have to be in full compliance with a clause.
One technique I learned about, liked and am using since I attended BRC Training is to break each clause up into itemized requirements listed within the clause. This helps create more of a checklist to audit against and ensures we don't miss any part of a specific clause. See example below in case it helps.
Obviously, these requirements are already in the clause, it just helps simplify each component that should be present and allows for maybe a more rigorous internal examination to find issues or opportunities for improvement.
Example:
3.8.1
There shall be documented procedures for managing non-conforming products. These procedures shall
include:
• the requirement for staff to identify and report a potentially non-conforming product
• clear identification of a non-conforming product (e.g. direct labeling or the use of IT systems)
• secure storage to prevent accidental release (e.g. physical or computer-based isolation)
• referral to the brand owner where required
• defined responsibilities for decision making on the use or disposal of products appropriate to the issue
(e.g. destruction, reworking, downgrading to an alternative label or acceptance by concession)
• records of the decision on the use or disposal of the product
• records of destruction where a product is destroyed for food safety reasons.
3.8.1 Checklist
A) Documented procedure for managing non-conforming products shall include the requirement for staff to identify and report a potentially non-conforming product.
B) Documented procedure for managing non-conforming products shall include clear identification of a non-conforming product (e.g. direct labeling or the use of IT systems).
C) Documented procedure for managing non-conforming products shall include secure storage to prevent accidental release (e.g. physical or computer-based isolation).
D) Documented procedure for managing non-conforming products shall include referral to the brand owner where required.
E) Documented procedure for managing non-conforming products shall include defined responsibilities for decision making on the use or disposal of products appropriate to the issue (e.g. destruction, reworking, downgrading to an alternative label or acceptance by concession).
F) Documented procedure for managing non-conforming products shall include records of the decision on the use or disposal of the product.
G) Documented procedure for managing non-conforming products shall include records of destruction where a product is destroyed for food safety reasons.
