Integrating BRC requirements into an existing system without creating a separate BRC Manual
Hi
We are a bakery here in NZ, working toward BRC. Currently have an MPI (Ministry of Primary Industries) approved Food Control Plan (cFCP) and Risk Management Program (RMP) for export, the two are combined. Rather than reinvent the wheel, I like to understand if it is possible to somehow adapt / combine this for BRC, and if anyone can give me some pointers on how this might be achieved, please. Have had some feedback that what we have covers the bulk of the requirements for BRC, but I think that it will probably need some sort of combination of manuals, whether it is headers / titles/ numbering, especially to demonstrate to an auditor that we understand the requirements for BRC and where they fit in what we are already doing.
I really don't see the point in having yet another document / manual sitting alongside our cFCP / RMP, and having to be separately audited. Hoping we can avoid this!
Many thanks
Paulie B
Napier
NZ
Greetings Paulie,
You can of course combine the standards. I can't give you specific pointers, as I am not familiar with the standards you use, but what you should do is take the BRCGS guidelines and go over the requirements. Find out which of them are being covered by the existing documentation and add only what is not (may that be a procedure or extra info on documentation etc).
No standard asks to follow the paragraph/headers it uses. What you have to do for your auditor is to provide evidence that you comply with the requirements and that you follow some documentation pattern (which helps you identify and control all documents necessary, whatever that may be).
Simply put the auditor should not and would not ask a question like "Show me how you comply with paragraph X of the BRC standard", or it is then bad auditing practice.
Regards.
Kia Ora Evans X
Thank you for this, points me in the right direction, much appreciated. I have been searching online for a template manual for BRC, just in case. I don't really think that we need one, but it might be helpful for any "missing" sections in our programs. Can you recommend any reputable sites that offer this? I realise that there would be a cost but that's not an issue, just that there seem to be so many options and not all seem genuine!
Nga mihi
PaulieB
Napier
NZ
As evans stated, it could be as easy as using the BRC audit checklist and filling in the gaps that you might have.
Im sure there will be many as BRC goes into areas the regulators usually do not.
If you are looking for a "program in a box" - IFSQN has one. I have not used it or seen it. The link is below. There are other consulting companies that have similar things available. As I recall they are usually considerably more expensive.
Get the appropriate BRCGS Standard and perform a gap audit.
Determine what you already have that is applicable to the BRCGS Standard.
Create and implement that which you do not already have.
While it's not "required" that you number/format documents a certain way, if you have some reference to the BRCGS standard clause/requirement on your documentation, I find it much more efficient come audit time.
A former QA Manager at one of our sister plants completely changed the document numbering/titles of all the previous tried and true BRC documents at that facility.
When I had to fly out there to conduct the audit (because he had quit), I had to go through everything and make notes as to what applied to what section of the BRC Standard, just to make the audit process go smoothly.
As you stated, there is no need to have a completely different "manual" for BRCGS, you just need to be able to show that you are meeting the requirements.
Marshall
To be honest I like all the numbered sections of BRC- I number all the documents after their number system - although to be honest it had been easy because no documents had any numbering when I showed up. The standard for BRC is a big jump up from food authority standard but you will be able to use a lot of your existing material.
I liked the BRC interpretation guideline- try get a copy of that as well as just the standard.
I also down loaded an app called 'iAuditor' which had a BRC checklist.
Good luck with the project. :)
Kia ora AnnMou, thanks for this.
Have purchased the BRC manual mentioned by kingstudruler1 in an earlier post, am finding it useful in comparing what we already have and filling in the gaps. Am also referencing the BRC numbering on our existing docs and am creating a simple spreadsheet to show this, making it easier to pinpoint when it comes to our audit. Will probably also purchase the BRC interpretation guideline, the more information the better I reckon!
Nga mihi
Paulie B