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Frequently Asked Questions

Certification Bodies

  • For a company to be issued a certificate against any of BRCGS' Global Standards they must be audited against the Standard by an auditor who will issue a report. This report and the action taken by the company to correct identified non-conformities will be reviewed by an independent individual or panel of the certification body and certification approved or declined. All certificates must be issued via a BRCGS-approved certification body. Therefore, any auditor must work for a certification body, which may be on an employed or contracted basis. An independent auditor cannot issue BRCGS certificates. The certification body is responsible for ensuring that the auditor fulfils the specified competency requirements, is registered with BRCGS, and that skills and knowledge of all registered auditors are maintained. Generally auditors are required to have: An appropriate higher education qualification such as a degree or diploma Appropriate post qualification work experience (usually around 5 years in industry) A recognised third party auditor qualification Qualification in HACCP or risk assessment Audit experience – generally a specified number of audits including those against BRC Global Standards Completed BRC training in the specified Global Standard If you are interested in becoming a BRC auditor there a number of training courses available that may help you. You should contact a certification body to establish their requirement for auditors.

  • If you’re a certification body that wants to work with BRCGS you will need to be recognised by a National Accreditation Body and accredited to the ISO/IEC 17065:2012 Standard. The 17065 includes requirements for maintaining the confidentiality of information, independence and impartiality of the audit and certification process. It also sets out the need for documented procedures for the audit process; for the selection and training of auditors; and establishes the rights of clients to complain and appeal against decisions.

  • To work with us you will need to apply to a National Accreditation Body recognised by BRCGS. Accreditation demonstrates your ability to carry out audits against standards such as the BRCGS Global Standards. It also allows for independent verification of your certification body and the way you manage the audit and certificate issuing process.

  • If you’re a certification body who wants to register to work with BRCGS, please contact us to request a certification body application form. Find out what happens once you’ve sent your registration form by reading the application process document. If successful, your certification body will then enter into a contract or framework agreement with BRCGS and abide by its requirements. These include forwarding details of all BRCGS audits completed and the results of those audits.

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