BRC Storage and Distribution Issue 4 Audit Checklist

The British Retail Consortium recently issued their latest storage and distribution standard, making this document essential to businesses seeking certification by BRC.

The new standards aim to enhance food production quality and safety, such as providing increased employee training, providing insight into product safety issues and using performance measurement methodologies that prioritize this aspect.

Environment
Environment of BRC Storage and Distribution Issue 4 Audit Checklist is essential to the production of safe food products for consumption. It must meet specific size, location and construction criteria to minimize contamination risks while simultaneously creating an ideal working environment. Our documentation kit was created by internationally accredited lead auditors to assist your establishment of an effective product safety and quality management system in line with BRC Global Food Standard for Food Safety.

Issue 4 of the BRC Storage and Distribution Standard includes several significant amendments. Chief among them is unannounced audits, so sites should ensure they have effective key staff absence cover systems in place.

Human resources
As with any BRC inspection, preparation is key. With the new issue comes some key changes that must be observed: including changes to senior management commitment section of standard and unannounced audits that require sites to examine key staff absence cover systems.

This checklist is intended to assist in your preparations for an upcoming BRC Storage and Distribution Issue 4 audit, with questions covering senior management commitment, food safety culture, risk analysis, equipment maintenance requirements, supplier approval systems and document control systems.

Site senior management should create and execute a detailed plan for the creation and continual enhancement of a food safety and quality culture at their site. This plan must encompass: open communication about product safety with employees at all levels, consistent training sessions that address employee perceptions of food safety as well as observed behavioral changes; performance measurement that emphasizes food safety; as well as effective performance measures dedicated to this area. Furthermore, such plans shall contain details regarding any nonconformities identified at previous audits that have been effectively addressed to prevent their recurrence; additionally this plan shall contain details on how any nonconformities identified at previous audits have been addressed so as to prevent their recurrence; additionally it shall contain details as to how any nonconformities have been addressed effectively addressed in order to prevent their recurrence;

Suppliers
BRC Storage and Distribution Issue 4 marks an impressive advancement from previous editions, introducing many novel concepts like developing food safety culture. Furthermore, changes have been made to existing requirements; this article will detail several such modifications.

3.5.1.4 Each site shall maintain an up-to-date list or database of approved suppliers (which may be paper, hardcopy or electronic controlled), which are accessible to all relevant staff members. They should also know who manufactured, packed or consolidated raw materials (where applicable) – when information for effective supplier approval (e.g. bulk commodity products) is not readily available then product testing can be used as a means to validate quality and safety.

Packaging
The final section of the BRC Storage and Distribution Standard addresses open product handling specifically, including having specific hygiene controls in place when open foods are being handled and producing a site map to show where these controls have been implemented. In addition, it mandates conducting documented mass balance tests at regular intervals as part of any approved scheme.

Numerous changes must also be accounted for when adopting Issue 4. Unannounced audits will become standard with this edition and require sites to examine closely their key staff absence cover systems and demonstrate they have developed and are continuing to establish a food safety culture through activities clearly planned out for, with all departments included within their organization taking part.