BRCGS Start!

Hi,

I’m reaching out to see if anyone has experience with the BRCGS START! programme. Our facility is currently SALSA certified, but we’ve received requests from customers to work towards BRCGS certification for food safety.

Our Managing Director has recently come across the START! certification and asked me to investigate whether it would be a worthwhile option, or if it would be more appropriate to pursue full BRCGS certification directly.

Any insights, experiences, or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Hi DSTechnicalManager,

I am from a UK based certification body who conducts audits to START, as well as full BRCGS Food Safety and others.

Going for BRCGS START first is a very sensible option, especially as part of an overall plan to eventually achieve full Food Safety certification.

START comes in 2 levels, Basic and Intermediate. Basic is around 33% of the Food Safety Standard. Intermediate is around 66% of the Food Safety Standard. Typically a Basic audit will take 8 hours and an intermediate audit will take 12 hours.

The full BRCGS Food Safety Standard is a very significant step up from SALSA, so there are a number of sites that will first implement START basic and maybe have that for a year or 2, then to go START intermediate and have that for a year or 2 and then go for the full Food Safety. You may have a really strong technical team at your site so may so straight to intermediate and skip the basic step and that is okay too.

Let me know if you have any further questions and if you'd like I can reach out to you directly to give you an idea of price etc if we were to conduct the audit.

BRCGS START - is it right for you?

Hi.

The above may give some perspective on differences between SALSA & START. 

Have had the same query (I work for a company with 2 factories - 1 BRGS AA+ (bakery) and other SALSA (pies/ savouries)).

Attached is comparison of the Standards (BRGS Food Safety v9, BRCGS START, SALSA).

Regards

BRCGS START - is it right for you?

 

Hi.

 

The above may give some perspective on differences between SALSA & START. 

 

Have had the same query (I work for a company with 2 factories - 1 BRGS AA+ (bakery) and other SALSA (pies/ savouries)).

 

Attached is comparison of the Standards (BRGS Food Safety v9, BRCGS START, SALSA).

 

Regards

Interesting insights.  I have to admit when I saw BRCGS launch it, I did think it was just another way to make cash.  I'd never heard of anyone finding that they needed a stepping stone from SALSA to BRCGS before.  Yes, that first audit might be challenging but it doesn't matter very much if your first audit is B grade.  If you get someone familiar with BRCGS standards to support you just over a few days I'm sure you can get there and maybe even an A if you're already acing SALSA.

I would agree with GMO and take the leap and straight for full BRCGS Food Certification.

I want the reward for my efforts and money, so START! just doesn't cut it for me, I mean would you even bother displaying the certificate in reception?

Kind regards,

Tony

 

I want the reward for my efforts and money, so START! just doesn't cut it for me, I mean would you even bother displaying the certificate in reception?

 

 

Agree.  As someone who used to approve suppliers, START isn't going to give me anything more than SALSA.  I'd still be coming to audit you directly.  But if you told me you were converting from SALSA to BRCGS full standard, I'd actually offer to come and support you in doing so as a combined audit & advice / consultancy as longer term you getting an A or AA on that is likely to mean we both have less work.  If you went for START, you're still going to be getting your customers thinking that's not enough.  

Also if you involve your customers on that journey, if audit 1 is a bit rocky they're more likely to be understanding.