BRC - British Retail Consortium

The BRC Global Standard for Food Issue 8 was developed by the British Retail Consortium (BRC), UK trade organization that represents the interests of retailers. The BRC Global Standard for Food Safety was created to establish a standard for due diligence and supplier approval. All requirements of BRC food safety are generic and are intended to be applicable to all organizations of any type and size. In most cases, BRC food safety certification is a per-condition for supplying to UK retailers.

BRC is an international Food Safety Management Systems standard, and is one of the GFSI recognized certification schemes. It contains requirements for food processors to follow to build an effective food safety management system. BRC Global Standards deliver confidence across the entire supply chain by guaranteeing the standardization of quality, safety and operational principles. By setting the benchmark for excellent manufacturing practice, they provide assurance to customers that products are safe, legal and of high quality.

FSSC 22000 - Food Safety System Certification

FSSC 22000 has been developed for the certification of food safety systems, which guarantee the safety of products during primary production of animal products, manufacture of perishable animal and/or vegetable products, products with a long shelf life and (other) food ingredients like additives, vitamins and bio-cultures, animal food and feed production and food packaging manufacturing, and recently included catering, retail/wholesale and transport and storage services.

Food safety relates to the presence of food-borne hazards in food at the point of consumption. Because food safety hazards can be introduced at any stage of the food chain, adequate control throughout the food chain is essential. FSSC 22000 is a GFSI- benchmarked food safety management systems certification scheme. The Food Safety Certification requirements provide a rigorous system to manage food safety risks and provide safe products for use by companies in the food industry.

HACCP - Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points

Hazard analysis and critical control points, HACCP is a management system in which food safety is addressed through the analysis and control of biological, chemical, and physical hazards from raw material, production, procurement and handling, to manufacturing, distribution and consumption of the finished product. In this manner, HACCP attempts to avoid hazards rather than attempting to inspect finished products for the effects of those hazards.

The HACCP system can be used at all stages of a food chain, from food production and preparation processes including packaging, distribution, etc. HACCP has been increasingly applied to industries other than food, such as packaging industries, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Awareness of food-borne illness is increasing and concern throughout the industry is driving the use of HACCP and HACCP based certification programs.

Prerequisite programs are programs that are put in place in the facility to control hazards in the environment, preventing contamination of the product. Prerequisite programs ensure a hygienic environment, and good manufacturing processes for personnel that reduce the risk of contamination of the food product.

ISO 22000:2005 - Food Safety Management Systems

ISO 22000 is a Food Safety Management System that can be applied to organizations in the food chain [farm to fork]. Becoming certified to ISO 22000 allows a company to show their customers that they have a food safety management system in place. This provides customer confidence in the product. This is becoming more and more important as customers demand safe food and food processors require that ingredients obtained from their suppliers to be safe.

ISO 22000 sets out the requirements for a food safety management system and can be certified to it. It maps out what an organization needs to do to demonstrate its ability to control food safety hazards in order to ensure that food is safe. It can be used by any organization regardless of its size or position in the food value chain.

ISO 22000 can be applied independently of other management system standards or integrated with existing management system requirements. ISO 22000 integrates the principles of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system and application steps developed by the Codex Alimentarius Commission