BRCGS Food: Customer Requirements, Production Scope and New Products
Preparation considers product safety, legislation and customer requirements within the same production flow. A facility's certificate does not automatically approve every product the company sells.
Questions for your situation
Can a packing-only facility be eligible for BRCGS Food?
Assess the operation's safety effects and the programme's activity scope. Handling exposed food, repacking and trading sealed cases are different activities. Clarify the appropriate programme and scope with the certification body. Describe the condition of products entering and leaving the facility.
Does a customer's private-label product require a separate certificate?
Check whether it falls within the facility's assessed products and processes. Private-label agreements may add duties for labels, specifications, change approval and notifications. Sharing a production line does not establish every customer requirement. Distinguish system certification from the customer's commercial product approval.
Can every product sold by the company be listed as certified scope on the website?
Scope claims must match actual production and accepted assessment boundaries. Products sold but not manufactured there, and new processes, need separate consideration. Do not expand scope for marketing convenience. Explain how excluded activities are distinguished and communicated to customers.
Can a new allergen-containing product first be introduced through trial production?
A trial still introduces materials and equipment contact. Plan storage, sequencing, cleaning and label controls before the trial and assess contamination of existing products. Allow time for control evidence and customer approvals within the development schedule.
Is food fraud assessment simply collecting supplier certificates?
Examine vulnerabilities such as economic value, supply-chain transparency and previous problems. Connect controls to those findings; certification alone does not establish every authenticity claim. Reassess when sources or pricing conditions change. Keep economically motivated fraud distinct from food defence against intentional harm.
How should the next audit be planned before certificate expiry?
Review the current protocol, production calendar and previous findings together. Waiting only for the expiry date can create an acceptance gap. Include seasonal products and customer notifications. Do not automatically reuse duration or audit-method rules from an earlier version.
Share the subject, organisation or product, target market, current evidence and target date. The team can then separate consultancy, official fees, independent evaluation and realistic timing.