BRC Start! Intermediate level accepted by US customers?
My small company is considering having a BRC Intermediate audit this year, as a stepping stone to full certification next year. We have never achieved any GFSI certification and are working hard to get there. Before I schedule the audit, I need to make sure our customers will accept this instead of a GMP audit which is what we usually have. I am hearing mixed reviews of customer's acceptance of the BRC START! Intermediate level audits, and wanted to see what feedback others have gotten on this, or what impressions any of you may have of the success of this program. Our customer base is mainly chefs purchasing through brokers and distributors; we don't do much retail business, except with Whole Foods Market. We may, though, try to get into more retail markets in the future, and I want to set us up for the best possible opportunities.
Thank you!!
What are the needs and expectations of your customers specifically?
Are they fine with BRC START? It is aligned with the GFSI Global Markets program. If not, what kind of benchmark do they want?
I am not familiar with BRC Start but i see that the basic level has foundations in food safety and related legislation while intermediate builds on the quality management aspects. It states it also builds on the HACCP Process. What requirements does it have regarding HACCP?
Most of our customers are OK with the BRC START Intermediate, because they know we are using it as a stepping stone to the full BRC for 2022. It includes almost all of the elements required for HACCP as in the full BRC. We have one customer currently who we are having great difficulty getting an answer from as to whether they will accept it this year instead of a generic GMP audit, which is what we have always had in the past.
Most of our customers are OK with the BRC START Intermediate, because they know we are using it as a stepping stone to the full BRC for 2022. It includes almost all of the elements required for HACCP as in the full BRC. We have one customer currently who we are having great difficulty getting an answer from as to whether they will accept it this year instead of a generic GMP audit, which is what we have always had in the past.
You might explain to them that the BRC START audit will include the same criteria as the generic GMP audit as well as additional food safety criteria. Your customer's hesitation could be due to a lack of familiarity with the program.
My facility is certified under SQF Fundamentals, which takes the same stair step approach to a GFSI benchmark, and we sometimes have to explain to customers or potential customers what the Fundamentals program is and what its goals are. Then it depends on the customer for if they find this acceptable or not.
It's excellent that y'all are working towards a GFSI certification!
A BRCGS Start! certification definitely stands out more than your garden variety GMP audit, however it doesn't seem like it's a full-fledged GFSI certification.
Certain companies absolutely require a GFSI certification, such as BRCGS, and will not do business with organizations that do not have one.
The best course of action is to reach out to the customer and ask if BRC Start! would suffice for their needs. No answer more likely than anything means a "no".
If even a single customer does not accept it, it would not seem economically feasible to engage in implementing the Start! program. In a scenario like this, it may be best to stick with the old GMP audit until the BRCGS standard is implemented and certified and eventually allow the GMP audit to expire.
Best of luck!