BRC Audit checklist Management Commitment (Clause 1)

1. The site shall have a documented policy which states the site’s intention to meet its obligation to produce safe, legal and authentic products to the specified quality, and its responsibility to its customers. This shall: • Be signed by the person with overall responsibility for the site • Be communicated to all staff • Include commitment to continuously improve the site’s food safety and quality culture.

2. The site’s senior management shall define and maintain a clear plan for the development and continuing improvement of a food safety and quality culture. The plan shall include measures needed to achieve a positive culture change. This shall include: Defined activities involving all sections of the site that have an impact on product safety. As a minimum, these activities shall be designed around: • Clear and open communication on product safety • Training • Feedback from employees • The behaviours required to maintain and improve product safety processes • Performance measurement of activities related to the safety, authenticity, legality and quality of products • An action plan indicating how the activities will be undertaken and measured, and the intended timescales • A review of the effectiveness of completed activities. The plan shall be reviewed and updated at least annually, at a minimum.

3. The site’s senior management shall ensure that clear objectives are defined to maintain and improve the safety, authenticity, legality and quality of products manufactured, in accordance with the food safety and quality policy and this Standard. These objectives shall be: Documented and include targets or clear measures of success clearly communicated to all staff monitored and results reported at least quarterly to site senior management and all staff.

4. The site shall have a demonstrable meeting programme which enables food safety, authenticity, legality and quality issues to be brought to the attention of senior management. These meetings shall occur at least monthly.

5. The company shall have a confidential reporting system to enable staff to report concerns relating to product safety, authenticity, legality and quality. The mechanism (e.g. the relevant telephone number) for reporting concerns shall be clearly communicated to staff. The company’s senior management shall have a process for assessing any concerns raised. Records of the assessment and, where appropriate, actions taken, shall be documented.

6. The company’s senior management shall provide the human and financial resources required to produce safe, authentic, legal products to the specified quality and in compliance with the requirements of this Standard.

7. Management review meetings attended by the site’s senior management shall be undertaken at appropriate planned intervals, annually at a minimum, to review the site performance against the Standard and objectives set in clause 1.1.3. The review process shall include the evaluation of: • Previous management review action plans and timeframes • The results of internal, second-party and/or third-party audits • Any objectives that have not been met, to understand the underlying reasons. This information shall be used when setting future objectives and to facilitate continual improvement • Any customer complaints and the results of any customer feedback • Any incidents (including both recalls and withdrawals), corrective actions, out-of-specification results and non-conforming materials • The effectiveness of the systems for HACCP, food defence and authenticity, and the food safety and quality culture plan • Resource requirements. Records of the meeting shall be documented and used to revise the objectives, thereby encouraging continual improvement. The decisions and actions agreed within the review process shall be effectively communicated to appropriate staff, and actions implemented within agreed timescales.

8. The company’s senior management shall have a system in place to ensure that the site is kept informed of and reviews: • Scientific and technical developments • Industry codes of practice • new risks to authenticity of raw materials • All relevant legislation in the country where the product will be sold (where known).

9. The site shall have a genuine, original hard copy or electronic version of the current Standard available and be aware of any changes to the Standard or protocol that are published on the BRCGS website.

10. Where the site is certificated to the Standard, it shall ensure that announced or blended announced recertification audits occur on or before the audit due date indicated on the certificate.

11. The most senior production or operations manager on site shall participate in the opening and closing meetings of the audit for certification to the Standard. Relevant departmental managers or their deputies shall be available as required during the audit. A member of the senior management team on site shall be available during the audit for a discussion on effective implementation of the food safety and quality culture plan.

12.  The site’s senior management shall ensure that the root causes of any non-conformities against the Standard identified at the previous audit have been effectively addressed to prevent recurrence.

13. The BRCGS logo and references to certification status shall be used only in accordance with the conditions of use detailed in the audit protocol section (Part III, section 6.7) of the Standard.

14. Where required by legislation, the site shall maintain appropriate registrations with the relevant authorities.

1. The company shall have an organisation chart demonstrating the management structure of the company. The responsibilities for the management of activities which ensure food safety, authenticity, legality and quality shall be clearly allocated and understood by the managers responsible. It shall be clearly documented who deputises in the absence of the responsible person.

2. The site’s senior management shall ensure that all staff are aware of their responsibilities and demonstrate that work is carried out in accordance with documented site policies, procedures, work instructions and existing practices for activities undertaken. All staff shall have access to relevant documentation.

3. Staff shall be aware of the need to report any risks or any evidence of unsafe or out-of-specification product, equipment, packaging or raw materials, to a designated manager to enable the resolution of issues requiring immediate action.

4.  If the site does not have the appropriate in-house knowledge of food safety, authenticity, legality or quality, external expertise (e.g. food safety consultants) may be used; however, the day-to-day management of the food safety systems shall remain the responsibility of the company.