BRCGS Food Safety: Frequently asked questions

Which scope and rules apply?

BRCGS Food Safety assesses product safety and quality practices at a food manufacturing site. Issue 9 must be read with the applicable position statements, including those effective from 10 August 2026. A packaging plant or farm does not automatically belong to the same scope.

What must the application explain?

Before applying, list the production address, product groups, processing methods and outsourced activities. Cooking, chilling and repacking are different operations. Check the selected certification body and its relevant BRCGS scope in the official directory before requesting a quotation.

How is practice demonstrated?

Audit evidence should extend beyond a procedure folder. Connect a chosen batch to ingredient intake, process checks, cleaning and dispatch. For a changeover following an allergenic product, link the cleaning record and verification result to that particular event.

How are continuity and costs planned?

Plan work around product variety, shifts, sites and missing evidence. Consultancy, certification audits, necessary testing and additional visits are separate quotation items. Submitting paperwork does not establish a successful outcome: the relevant body makes its decision under the BRCGS rules.

Is an existing certificate enough after a change?

In a hypothetical application, a producer introduces an allergen-free claim on a line also handling milk. Describe the claim and shared line together when defining scope. Follow one example batch through production sequence, changeover cleaning, verification and label approval instead of attaching only a cleaning instruction. If results do not support the claim, record the preparation gap and its owner rather than present the product as compliant.

Does Kayra make the certification decision?

Kayra Patent consultancy supports scope definition, record organisation and tracking unfinished preparation work. The relevant authorised or scheme approved body performs the audit and makes the certification decision. Separate consultancy and that body’s services in the quotation.

Official sources

Content checked: 3 October 2026. Scheme rules rely on official sources; record structures and work plans are editorial recommendations. Check the complete requirements and the body’s current scope separately.

• BRCGS — Food Safety certification
• BRCGS — Position statements