It’s the current way of the working world – no retailer or brand owner worth their salt will consider business with a supplier if the supplier in question cannot show its certification to a global standard. Certification enables your business to implement change, improve management systems and build your future success.
Take the BRC Global Standards for Food Safety (or BRC for short) as an example. The BRC was first introduced in 1998, and is regarded as the benchmark for best practices in the food industry. It has evolved into the framework upon which many companies have based their supplier assessment programmes. This has extended from just manufacturers of private branded products, to ingredient manufacturers and co-packing operations.
In certifying your organisation within this standard, you automatically meet the fundamental requirements associated with senior management participation; adoption of HACCP; a documented quality management system, and control of your environmental standards, processes and personnel.
In certifying your organisation within this standard, you automatically meet the fundamental requirements associated with senior management participation
Five benefits of certification
- It provides clarity: It contains well-defined requirements built within a clear certification process.
- It provides credibility: An experienced technical services team, with worldwide reach, offers peace of mind through continual customer support.
- It allows for collaboration and continuous improvement: Multiple technical experts and committees regularly review the standard to ensure continuous improvement, and to ensure the standard remains current with food safety trends.
- It ensures consistency: A global training infrastructure allows for localised, language based training and auditing teams, with standardised audit reports with a global application functionality.
- It engenders confidence: Through a robust performance, the standard’s monitoring assessment tools and transparent process of logging complaints help to maintain the rigorous requirements for auditors’ competence, qualifications and experience.
But – much like the happy ‘ending’ of every fairy tale, this is in fact just the beginning. Your certification is the first milestone in your continued pursuit for business excellence.
Five ways to enforce your commitment to industry best practice
- Enlist the services of exceptional auditors
The right auditors will understand that applying a standard is not a paint-by-numbers exercise; small, medium and large organisations will require a system assessment that will ensure the application is appropriate for the business in question.
- Schedule a comprehensive food safety training calendar
A breadth of learning options that meet market needs and delivered via a range of training modes will add defined value and solid outcomes to you and your business.
- Manage your supply chain compliance consistently
You can ensure this through advanced software options, which help you track and monitor supply chain compliance to the relevant standards and requirements that dictate your organisation’s risk management system.
- Enlist global support
How best to apply a global standard than with an ongoing conversation between you and your global partners? By enlisting the help of a global certification leader, you will enable your organisation to grow and change through food safety programmes, and through the assistance of experts in the fields of quality; environment; aerospace; automotive; medical devices; health and safety, as well as many other industries.
- Implement appropriate food safety programmes
By observation of and alignment to the following food safety programmes, you are making a clear statement of your commitment to food safety best practice:
- ISO (e.g. 22000, 9001, 14001)
- HACCP
- GFSI Standards (BRC/SQF/IFS)
- GlobalGap
For a full discussion around potential certification services, please contact NOSA Testing, Inspection and Certification (TIC):
Steven Lashmar – 021 850 0510 | steven.lashmar@saigolobal.com
