Traceability for BRC and acceptance of SALSA

Section 3.5 Supplier and raw material approval and performance monitoring in BRCGS Issue 9 and the impact on SALSA-approved businesses. 

Clause 3.5.1.2 of BRCGS Issue 9 states that the approval and monitoring procedures shall include one or a combination of: certification (to BRCGS or GFSI) and/or supplier audits. 
 
The SALSA Technical Advisory Committee have consulted with the BRCGS and can confirm that SALSA certification would constitute an acceptable ‘supplier audit’, providing the BRCGS-certificated site has access to an up-to-date copy of an individual business’s SALSA audit report.

 Clause 3.5.1.2 (BRCGS Issue 9);

The company shall have a documented supplier approval procedure to ensure that all suppliers of raw materials, including primary packaging, effectively manage risks to raw material quality and safety and are operating effective traceability processes. The approval procedure shall be based on risk and include either one or a combination of: 

• a valid certification to the applicable BRCGS Standard or GFSI-benchmarked standard. The scope of the certification shall include the raw materials purchased
• supplier audits, with a scope to include product safety, traceability, HACCP review, the product security and food defence plan, the product authenticity plan and good manufacturing practices. The audit shall ensure that these plans form part of the supplier’s product safety management system and that any resultant actions are implemented. The supplier audit shall be undertaken by an experienced and demonstrably competent product safety auditor. Where the supplier audit is completed by a second or third party, the company shall be able to: 
  • demonstrate the competency of the auditor
  • confirm that the scope of the audit includes product safety, product security and food defence plan, product authenticity, traceability, HACCP review and good manufacturing practices 
  • obtain and review a copy of the full audit report  
• or, for suppliers assessed as low risk only, supplier questionnaires