BRCGS Agents & Brokers Certification
The BRC Global Standard for Agents & Brokers (A&B) is developed to provide a framework to manage product safety, quality and legality for business in the food and food packaging industries who offer services for trading, import and export or distribution of food and packaging materials, but who do not come into direct contact with the products themselves. Brokers for cosmetics, body care and household products can also apply. The standard has been updated to reflect the current thinking in product safety, scope expansion to incorporate consumer products, and to encourage worldwide standard adoption.
This BRC Global Standard for Agents & Brokers certification is recognised worldwide by many retailers, food service companies and manufacturers for capability assessment of their supply chain. The standard specifies the safety, quality and operational criteria required to be in compliance with legal requirements and protect the end user consumer of the product.
The standard is divided into five sections:
- Senior Management commitment and continual improvement
- Hazard and risk assessment
- Product safety and quality management system
- Suppliers and subcontracted service management
- Personnel
The focus of the certification measures is on procurement of the products and selection of suppliers.
The scope requirements are limited to product safety, quality and legality which defines requirements for the operational systems and services to ensure this.
The following product categories are applicable for certification of under this standard scope;
- Food products, including raw materials, processed foods and fruit & vegetables
- Packaging materials – primary, secondary and tertiary materials, and raw materials for the manufacture of packaging materials
- Pet foods for domestic animals
- Consumer products.
The following company operations are also applicable for certification under this standard scope;
- Agents or non-manufacturers who trade between a manufacturer or broker and its customer
- Brokers who purchase or are legal owner of products for resale to manufacturers, other brokers, retailers or food service companie
Benefits of BRCGS Agents and Brokers Certification
- Assured quality and safety of products, operational best practice
- Continual improvement based on a risk-based product safety management system
- Permanently monitored process as basis of trust for business partners
- Support legal compliance such as the US Food Safety Modernisation Act and EU legislative requirements
- Systematic decision making procedures with lower transaction costs
How to reach BRCGS certification
FAQ'S for BRCGS Agents and Broker Certification
What does BRCGS Stand for?
Brand Reputation Compliance Global Standards
Is the BRCGS Agents & Brokers standard recognized by the GFSI?
The BRCGS Agents and Brokers standard is recognized by the GFSI.
The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) is a private organisation founded in May 2000 under Belgian law by the international trade association, the Consumer Goods Forum. The GFSI maintains a system for benchmarking food safety standards for manufacturers as well as standards for quality assurance on farms. Under the umbrella of the GFSI, eight major retailers (Carrefour, Tesco, ICA, Metro, Migros, Ahold, Wal-Mart and Delhaize) agreed in June 2007 to jointly accept the food safety programmes assessed by the GFSI. More information can be found under mygfsi.com
How can I prepare my company for BRCGS A&B certification?
In the BRCGS Bookshop you can buy and download the right BRCGS standard for you, which includes the corresponding requirements. There you will also find offers for training courses. Before registering for the audit, you can optionally have a pre-audit carried out by us to uncover the weaknesses of your organization with regard to the desired certification. Please feel free to contact us in advance.
Who is the BRCGS Agents & Brokers Standard aimed at?
Brokers: Companies that buy or "take possession" of products for resale to manufacturers, other brokers, retailers or food service providers, but not directly to the consumer
Agents or non-manufacturing service providers: Companies that trade between a manufacturer or broker and their customers but do not own or take ownership of the goods
Importers/exporters: Companies that facilitate the movement of products across national borders while complying with legal and customs requirements. Importers and exporters may also be agents and/or brokers.
The scope of the standard includes certifications in the following product categories:
Food, including raw materials, processed foods, and fruits and vegetables
Packaging materials - primary, secondary and tertiary materials as well as raw materials for the production of packaging materials
Pet food for pets
Consumer goods
The standard is not applicable to:
Livestock
Animal feed for farm animals
Loose fuels
Pharmaceuticals
TÜV UK LTD Certification
TÜV UK LTD is recognised all over the world as a well-established and reliable partner for inspection and certification services. Our experts and auditors have in-depth knowledge and many years of experience in the food sector, and undertake annual training in order to remain ahead of the field. We can guarantee independence, neutrality and continuity in all our services to you, and the benefits are clear. Our experts support the development of your products and provide you with objective feedback.
As our auditors are qualified in several fields, we can also offer efficient and cost-effective combined audits (e.g. with other management systems / food safety systems).
We are looking forward to your enquiry
TÜV UK LTD, AMP House, Suites 27 - 29, Fifth Floor, Dingwall Road
Croydon, CR0 2LX
Tel.: +44 (0) 7715523056
food-uk@tuv-nord.com