BRCGS Food Safety Issue 9: what auditors will ask to see
Issue 9 is still the edition you are audited against. Issue 10 is being written, with no published date. Prepare for the audit in front of you.
In Short
- Some requirements are marked fundamental; your licensed standard sets the consequences.
- Food safety culture needs a plan with measures, not posters.
- Practise tracing a lot back to raw materials and forward to customers.
The Food Processing Operations Guide
Safe changeovers. Right labels. Every lot traceable.
- The rules and the plan
- Supplier to filled tray
- Allergen changeovers and pack checks
- Trace, recall and record review
Plus Evidence map and four worksheets.
Get the food processing guideWe ask for your name and email so we can handle this request. The full guide then opens on this site, ready to translate, print or save. Privacy policy. Practical orientation, not legal advice; your quality unit decides which rules apply.
UltimateFree guide
The Food Processing Operations Guide
Safe changeovers. Right labels. Every lot traceable.
The BRCGS Global Standard for Food Safety is a voluntary certification standard owned by BRCGS and widely required by retailers and brand owners. BRCGS's public pages, checked on 2 Oct 2026, show Issue 9 as the current edition and Issue 10 in development, with no Issue 10 audit start date. The full standard and audit protocol are licensed documents that were not opened for this guide, so it gives buyer guidance rather than exact clause wording. Your licensed copy, your certification body and BRCGS's own interpretation guidance are the authority.
Fundamental Requirements
The standard marks some requirements as fundamental, and BRCGS treats them more strictly than other requirements at audit. Buyers commonly expect areas such as senior management commitment, the HACCP plan, internal audit, supplier approval, corrective action and traceability to need especially strong evidence.
More on fundamental Requirements
Check the exact list, and what a non-conformity against one means for certification, in your licensed standard and with your certification body.
Food Safety Culture
Senior management must define and maintain a plan for developing and continually improving food safety and quality culture, with activities, measures and review. Auditors look for evidence that the plan is real: what was measured, what changed and who was involved, not posters.
Culture plan evidence an auditor can test
HACCP and Prerequisites
The food safety plan must follow Codex HACCP principles, be developed by a multidisciplinary team and be reviewed when things change. Prerequisite programmes such as cleaning, pest control and maintenance must be in place and effective.
More on hACCP and Prerequisites
Auditors test this by walking the process and comparing it with the flow diagram and records.
Product Security, Authenticity and Traceability
Expect to show how you assess fraud and site-security vulnerability, how you control claims such as organic or origin, and how you trace a lot back to raw materials and packaging and forward to customers. Auditors may ask for a trace during the audit.
Worked Example: a Traceability Test
- 0:00Auditor picks finished lot FG-8830Auditor
- 0:15Back: raw material lots, including packaging, identifiedTechnical manager
- 0:30Forward: all customers and quantities for FG-8830Technical manager
- 0:40Mass balance: produced vs shipped vs stock reconciledTechnical manager
- 0:45Gap recorded: one rework input missing; CAPA raisedTechnical manager
More on product Security, Authenticity and Traceability
The required frequency, scope and time limit for traceability tests are set in your licensed standard.
Audit Options and Grades
BRCGS offers announced and unannounced audit options. Grades reflect the non-conformities found.
More on audit Options and Grades
Timing, grading rules and corrective-action deadlines are set in the audit protocol; check your licensed copy and your certification body's rules.
Also relevant: Food Safety Control & Traceability Buyer Guide (14-page PDF, on the Food Safety page).
Questions
Is BRCGS Issue 9 still the current edition?
Yes, when we checked on 2 Oct 2026. BRCGS has begun developing Issue 10 but had not published its text or an audit start date. Check brcgs.com for current status.
Is BRCGS certification a legal requirement?
No. It is a voluntary certification scheme. Many retailers and brand owners require it from suppliers, and it is GFSI-benchmarked.
What happens with a non-conformity against a fundamental requirement?
Fundamental requirements are treated more strictly than other requirements, and a serious finding can affect whether a certificate is issued. The exact consequences are set in the standard's audit protocol, which this guide did not open; check your licensed copy and your certification body.
How often must traceability be tested?
The standard requires traceability testing. The frequency, scope and time limit are set in the licensed standard, which this guide did not open; check your copy and your certification body.
Practical orientation, not legal advice. Rules differ by jurisdiction; your quality and compliance team decides what applies.
Keep reading
Food CGMP Readiness: Daily Checks and Evidence
EU Acrylamide Regulation 2017/2158: Mitigation, Sampling and Benchmark Levels
Cronobacter in Powdered Infant Formula: Part 106 Testing and FDA's Prevention Actions
21 CFR 106 Infant Formula CGMP Guide: Release, Testing and Traceability
Food Allergen Control: US Labeling and Bakery Readiness
Food Fraud and Food Defence: Running VACCP and TACCP Vulnerability Assessments