BRC/IOP standard

Introduction to BRC/IOP

The BRC/IOP packaging material standard is a set of criteria established by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and The Packaging Society for auditing food packaging suppliers. In addition to being recognized by UK retailers, the BRC/IOP packaging certification is widely accepted by retailers across Europe and the United States, including Aldi, ASDA, Boots, CoOP Wholesale (CWS), Iceland, KwikSave, Littlewoods, Morrisons, Netto, Safeway, Sainsburys, Somerfield, Spar, Tesco, Waitrose, Walmart, and others

BRC/IOP packaging material standard requirements include

• Commitment and continuous improvement by top management;

• Hazard and risk management system;

• Product safety and quality management system;

• Factory standard;

• Product and process control;

• Personnel.

Benefits of BRC/IOP Standards

• A single set of standards and rules allows third-party certification bodies that meet the European standard EN45011 to conduct audits;

• A single inspection process can be carried out by manufacturers or suppliers at a mutually agreed inspection frequency, allowing manufacturers and suppliers to report their status to recognized food retailers and other organizations;

• The standards cover a wide range of areas, including quality, hygiene, product safety, and other fields in the packaging industry;

• The standard stipulates the "due diligence" requirements for packaging manufacturers/suppliers, packagers/fillers, and retailers. Packaging manufacturers can also utilize the standard to ensure that their suppliers adhere to good hygiene practices and enhance the "due diligence" chain;

• According to relevant standards, supervision should be conducted at any time, and non-conformities that do not meet the standards should be corrected, thereby ensuring the establishment of a self-improving quality, hygiene, and product safety system.

Benefits of BRC certification

• Implement logical process control to effectively reduce costs - reduce the number of audits and guide more consistent and effective operations;

• Enhance competitive advantage, especially in the current situation where product safety is of high concern, to increase sales opportunities;

• Provide good operational practices to ensure a certain level of defense and resolution capabilities when problems occur within the enterprise;

• Assist enterprises in establishing, maintaining, and promoting business codes necessary for their operations, and help companies continuously improve;

• Assist in establishing a regulatory framework, ensuring continuous compliance with regulatory requirements, and timely updates;

• Enhance the prestige and reputation within the industry;

• Assist enterprises in establishing long-term cooperative relationships with partners;

• Establish international credibility and increase trade opportunities in new countries and regions;

• Provide a global network platform (directory) that can be accessed by leading retailers and customers worldwide.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) is a significant international trade association whose members encompass a wide range of retailers, including large multinational retail chains, department stores, town shops, and online stores, covering a broad spectrum of product categories. Retailers are obligated to provide consumers with safe and legal products. Therefore, they must take all reasonable precautions and make every effort to avoid any mistakes during the product development, production, distribution, promotion, and sales processes.

For retailers' own branded products, this obligation encompasses several aspects of work. One of them is to assess the technical proficiency of their suppliers. For many years, this task has been carried out independently by retailers, evaluating the technical capabilities and behavior of their suppliers based on their own internal standards. The assessment is sometimes undertaken by retailers' own technical personnel, and sometimes by third-party testing agencies in accordance with retailers' standards.

In 1998, in response to industry needs, the British Retail Consortium initiated and established the BRC Food Technical Standard to evaluate manufacturers of retailers' private label food products. Shortly after its release, the standard garnered attention from other organizations in the food industry and has since become a benchmark for good operating practices in the sector. Its widespread application in the UK and beyond has elevated it to an international standard. Not only can it be used to evaluate retailers' suppliers, but it is also regarded by numerous companies as a fundamental guideline for establishing their own supplier evaluation systems and brand product production standards.

The institutions that certify products according to this standard must be officially licensed in accordance with the European standard ISO Guide 65, or institutions officially approved by the British Retail Consortium. Currently, most retailers in the UK and Nordic countries only accept enterprises that have passed BRC certification as their suppliers.

The five major responsibilities of retailers

Nowadays, suppliers and retailers share the responsibility for the safety and legality of products, with retailers bearing the following five main responsibilities:

• Ensure that detailed product specifications are provided, and do not violate the requirements of relevant laws, comprehensive standards, or production guidelines;

• Ensure that suppliers possess the qualifications to produce relevant products, and that their production and operation comply with relevant laws, production codes, and agricultural standards;

• Visit suppliers' factories at any time, review their qualifications and capabilities, and listen to the audit reports on the suppliers;

• Establish a risk assessment system to inspect, test, or analyze products;

• Monitor and handle customer complaints.

Most large retailers in the UK only choose companies that have obtained BRC Global Standards certification as their suppliers. Most retailers require manufacturers to provide BRC certification and meet the legal and quality requirements of their retail customers. This is because, according to the Food Safety Act of 1990, retailers are legally responsible for their own branded products and their brands.

Our solution

• BRC CP Issue 3 Global Standard - Consumer Products (Third Edition) Certification

• BRC Food Safety Issue 6 Global Standard - Food (Sixth Edition) Certification

• BRC/IoP Issue 4 Global Standard - Certification for Food Packaging and Other Packaging Materials (Fourth Edition)

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