How long do we need to keep the records archived?
Could any one suggest how long do we need to keep the records archived.
General rule is shelf life plus 12 months.
If there are legislative requirements, obviously those need to be followed. The Food Safety Modernization Act here in the States requires 2 years, for example.
Marshall
To add to Marshall's comments some customers may want longer like 5 or 7 year's (I've been asked previously); in which case you make an exception for them on agreement.
Also for some short life products where customers can order as frequently as monthly or every couple of week's. For this type of product keeping so much can be difficult if space is limited. For these types of product then it may be that you only keep the last three production runs and stress to the customer they must operate FIFO.
Ultimately it depends on your products and customers and what the law says.
Regards,
Simon
hey guys.. my rule of thumb is shelf life plus one year
except for Organic records ,which in canada, requires 5 years..
Is there any standard as per BRC Agents and Brokers.
3.3.2 Records shall be retained for a defined period with consideration given to:
• any legal or customer requirements
• the shelf life of the product.
This shall take into account, where it is specified on the label, the possibility that shelf life may be
extended by the consumer (e.g. by freezing).
As a minimum, records shall be retained for the shelf life of the product plus 12 months.
The rule of thumb of shelf life plus 12 months is reasonable, but the products we make have an indefinite shelf life so that is not practical. We looked to regulations for guidance and see a requirement of 3 years for retained samples, so that became our record retention standard. Sometimes the government actually helps figure things out.
3.3.2 Records shall be retained for a defined period with consideration given to:
• any legal or customer requirements
• the shelf life of the product.
This shall take into account, where it is specified on the label, the possibility that shelf life may be
extended by the consumer (e.g. by freezing).
As a minimum, records shall be retained for the shelf life of the product plus 12 months.
Hi John,
Thks for above.
Just for clarity, afaik this quote is from BRC7.
Cut and paste directly from V7 :spoton: