4 replies to this topic

[dazaaa03]

Hi All

 

need some help and guidance please. 

 

we store chilled and ambient products now the bosses have tasked me to implement BRC. 

 

The chill store is very new and the plan is to store soft drinks in it plus water. not sure if they plan to add food ETC. 

 

The warehouse store pick and mix sweets, pet products from toys to biscuits. there are some raw materials used in breakfast cereals. 

 

my background for the company is i do the risk assessments, SOP,s and a little bit of training. 

 

i have been trained on IOSH also. 

 

i have dealt with AIB in my previous job role so have a little bit of audit knowledge. 

 

what do i need to help me implement BRC in my company?

 

Do i need to go on an Audit course?

what level of HACCP should i go for?

with an HACCP team what level do they need to be trained at?

 

 

or if anyone else can point me in the right direction would be great

 

thanks 

 

 

 

[GMO]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

 

I don't have experience in implementing BRC for storage and distribution but I've had loads of experience implementing for food manufacturing sites.

 

Training wise, all I do is attend the update meetings when a version changes.  I have a recognised audit qualification but it's not the full BRC auditor job, some level of training on auditing would be helpful for gap analysis and internal auditing and may be required for the standard.  To do any HACCP plan, ideally I would suggest a minimum of Level 3 HACCP.

 

But the best place to start is the standard.  What I did when I went into a site which had previously failed then just scraped a pass was go back to basics and the same would apply with a site which had never used BRC.  Copy every clause into a spreadsheet then work out if you comply with it and if you do, how you would prove to an auditor that you comply with it.  Remember it's not just about people doing the right thing in the warehouse but also if they've been trained to do the right thing and what they've been trained against.  Keep going back to that evidence thing.  Imagine if the auditor was in front of you, how would you prove to them that you're a site in control?

 

Once you have the list of stuff you don't comply with, then it's a case of working through it step by step.  Involve the other team members in this to help with workload but also ideas.  It can be easy to think you need to spend a lot of money but that's not always necessary.  Remember the standard doesn't say how to comply, only what you need to comply with.  I'm not sure if you're signed up to BRC participate but quite often there are "interpretation guidelines" too which help you understand the kind of things they need.

 

Once you do comply, update your list.  This list then forms a bit of a cheat sheet for you for audit day.  If you have announced audits, I have been known to have copies of every document associated with each clause ready to go.

 

The last point of call is a bit cheeky but everyone in Technical does it.  If you find a clause you can't comply with (note not one you simply don't want to) and you genuinely don't think it's a risk in your factory, write a risk assessment.  Record your decision making, thought processes etc. and that you have considered it but believe it not to be a risk.  It doesn't always work but it's worth a try if there are some sticking points you genuinely can't get round.

 

My last tips from an old bird who has been audited to death for ever is no auditor wants to be kept waiting once they've asked for information.  My advice I give and give to everyone I train is ask the auditor for the list of things they want to look through next.  Chances are 1 or 2 of them will be at hand already and then you can get a colleague in the background to sort out information for the other 8 or 9 things.  Why is this good?  Long waits make auditors suspicious also auditors are very time poor so by keeping the pace of the audit up, it means it helps them.  Also with your little "cheat sheet" you probably know what's coming next anyway.  I once took this too far though when I put a document in front of an auditor just before they were about to ask for it.  I looked damned efficient though if a bit creepy...

 

Good luck.

[Charles.C]

Hi dazaa,

 

The general view here seems to be that AIB repesents a different universe to BRC. Perhaps a little unfair from a GMP POV.

 

My experience is from BRCFood but based on the typical haccp plans posted on this Forum illustrating S&D I anticipate yr requirements should be more straightforward.

 

IMEX most (to-be-selected-by-you) BRC auditors/their Companies are only too willing to offer to do the requisite BRC "training" for you. How much you actually need it depends on yr  (and yr team's) existing level of documentation, experience etc. And the cost of course.

 

If you are familiar with iso9000 it's a good "system" starting point IMO. And if you are HACCP-adept already for the set-up you mentioned I predict the combination of iso + haccp should handle most of the BRC S&D standard.

 

And ensure you invest in  a preliminary test run for the Standard as, i think, is invariably offered by auditing Companies.

[Sarahr78]

Hi Dazza,

 

I work in S&D ambient foods. I completed an online internal audit course for BRC standards with All-safe, but this was due to the fact I'm also an ISO internal auditor with quite a few years experience on internal auditing. It may be worth looking on the global standards website to source a suitable course for yourself. My internal audit team sat a day's course run by our BRC auditing house, then I have provided further guidance and assistance.

 

With regards to our HACCP team everyone is trained to a minimum of level 2 including myself, We are a very low risk ambient food storage and no CCP's. My advise is to sit level 2 draft out your plan and assess the risks associated with your business. If you are high risk with a number of CCP's than I would advise to sit level 3.

 

I agree with daddywelsh the best place to start is with the standard. I have dropped a link below for a self assessment which I thought was very helpful.

 

https://www.brcgloba...p-and-guidance/

 

Good Luck

[Charles.C]

Hi Sarah r,

 

Thanks for the Link. Interesting.