LRQA is eagerly anticipating the publication of the revised BRCGS Global Standard for Food Safety, with Version 8 set for release on 1 August 2018.
“As an official BRCGS certification body, we know that assurance against the BRCGS Global Standard for Food Safety proves an organisation’s level of competence in HACCP, Quality Management Systems, Factory Environmental Standards, Product Control, Process Control and Personnel, while demonstrating a commitment to consumer safety and stakeholder relations,” said Cheryl Stevens, Strategic Account Manager for BRCGS at LRQA. “The BRCGS range of standards forms a core part of our service portfolio. As LRQA were an active part of the working group reviewing the changes alongside BRCGS we are aware of the significant changes in Version 8, which are designed to deliver additional organisational benefits to the certification process and brand protection.”
LRQA serves over 33,000 clients in the food and beverage sector alone and recognises that organisations are facing rising food safety, environmental and social customer demands, tougher stakeholder and government requirements, brand issues, impacts as well as growth and profitability concerns.
The development of Issue 8 followed a wide consultation to understand stakeholders’ requirements and a review of emerging issues in the food industry as highlighted above. The revised standard is expected to include several areas of focus to include:
- encouraging the development of food safety culture
- expanding the requirements for environmental monitoring to reflect the increasing importance of this technique
- encouraging sites to further develop systems for security and food defence
- adding clarity to the requirements for high-risk, high-care and ambient high-care production risk zones
- providing greater clarity for sites manufacturing pet food
- ensuring global applicability and bench-marking to the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI)
David Brackston, Technical Director at BRCGS recently commented, “The BRCGS Global Standard for Food Safety is the ‘scheme of choice’ for thousands of organisations worldwide. As a BRCGS Global Standards recognised certification body, we are delighted that LRQA is at the forefront in offering such services to clients, thereby helping to ensure the safe delivery of food to consumers in more than 130 countries.”
More information about LRQA's wide range of food assurance services can be found here.