A rival of BRC? EFSIS Standard - English European Food Safety Inspection Service

[mr. veen]

Good day to everybody

First I would like to thank te members who gave answers to my former questions. Today, I have a new question.

Yesterday, the director of our company came up to me and asked me about a new standard for a Quality management system. He said to have heard about a new standard which is a rival of BRC. This standard is allready being used in the UK and France. he didn't know the name of this new standard. This standard is know for it's better correspondence with ISO 9001:2000

Does anybody know if this stand exists and what the name of this standard is? Does it imply more regitration and is there a real rival to BRC?

Thanks,

Mr. Veen

[M Greenaway]

This answer is probably the EFSIS standard. Full details here:

EFSIS Summary

[Marc]

Has anyone had any experience with the EFSIS?

Name: EFSIS Standard

Description:
The EFSIS Standard is a standard developed by the English European Food Safety Inspection Service (EFSIS). This standard is fully compatible with the BRC Standard, but contains a number of extra requirements. Just as required for the BRC Standard, this standard also requires the presence of a quality system, where HACCP is applied, and the environment, product, process and personnel are covered by the system (Good Hygiene Practice requirements).

This standard was also initially an inspection protocol. The most recent version of the EFSIS Standard requires control to take place by a certification body. This version was approved by the GFSI.

Certification of conformity with the EFSIS Standard remains reserved for EFSIS.

Manager:
Managed by the European Food Safety Inspection Service (EFSIS), that also takes responsibility for inspection/certification.

References:
Manager: EFSIS Limited
Address:
P O Box 44
Winterhill House
Snowdon Drive
Milton Keynes, MK6 1AX
UK
Tel.: + 44 (0)1908 844253
Fax: + 44 (0)1908 609825
The web: www.efsis.com

BTW...

Name:
BRC Food Technical Standard

Description:
The BRC Food Technical Standard was developed in 1998 by a group of British retailers (British Retail Consortium) and comprises requirements which must be met by suppliers. The BRC requires a quality system to be present, that HACCP is applied, and that the environment, product, process and personnel are covered by this system (Good Hygiene Practice requirements).

Initially (version 1 and version 2) this standard was an inspection protocol. Compliance with these BRC requirements is controlled by an independent control body. Since 2001 a number of these inspection bodies have been accredited by Beltest. These bodies draw up an inspection report and issue an inspection certificate (a document that demonstrates that the BRC requirements are being met).

The most recent version (version 3) of the BRC Food Technical Standard requires the control to be conducted by a certifying body accredited by Belcert. This version was approved by the GFSI.

Manager:
The BRC Standard is managed by the British Retail Consortium.

References:
Manager: British Retail Consortium
Address:
21 Dartmouth Street
Second floor
ondon SW1H 9BP
UK
Tel.: + 44 (0)20 7854 8900
Fax: + 44 (0)20 7854 8901
The web: www.brc.org.uk

[Sidney Vianna]

Marc, it seems to me that FOOD SAFETY is becoming a mainstream issue and we will be subjected to heightened scrutiny in the food supply chain. Check the press-release from ANSI @ http://www.ansi.org/news_publication...&articleid=836

In Pilot Program, ANSI to Accredit Certification Bodies that Audit Suppliers under the FMI Safe Quality Food Program
Partnership strengthens program’s global credibility, benefiting consumers, industry
Washington, DC December 14, 2004
The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) has selected the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to accredit the certification bodies that audit suppliers under FMI’s Safe Quality Food (SQF) Program. This new partnership is designed to help strengthen food safety procedures and improve quality for consumers.


In a pilot initiative with FMI, ANSI will help ensure that auditing organizations are legal entities, independent and free of conflicts of interest, employ qualified people, have proper oversight and otherwise comply with the requirements of Guide 65 of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

“Accreditation provides the necessary additional oversight of the certification and auditing function,” said Paul Ryan, executive director of the SQF Institute, the FMI division that administers the program. “If a food safety certification program is going to have credibility and be internationally recognized, it must have an accreditation component.

“Through our partnership with ANSI, the U.S. now has a system in place for meeting this requirement. FMI is pleased that ANSI has agreed to provide an accreditation service for its SQF certification bodies.”

“ANSI brings worldwide credibility, a knowledgeable and professional staff and a long history of accreditation activities similar to our new partnership with the SQF Institute,” said Reinaldo Figueiredo, ANSI program director of product certification accreditation. “We look forward to working with FMI to encourage participation by certifiers in this program.”

Seven certification bodies already have expressed strong interest in participating in this program.

The SQF Program is a fully integrated food safety and quality management system that enables a food supplier to ensure that its products have been produced, prepared, transported, stored and handled according to the most rigorous international standards. The program has established standards for both third-party auditing and training.

SQF certification is the most important feature of the program. It ensures that suppliers use the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system, a science-based method used by the food industry worldwide to minimize food safety risks. The SQF Program outlines safety and quality requirements for all food commodities, including raw materials and ingredients, processed and prepared foods and beverages — from grains, produce and meat to canned goods, fruit juices and sushi.

Currently 4,000 businesses in 17 countries have been certified as complying with SQF standards.

ANSI is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and the American quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. Composed of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations, the ANSI Federation represents the diverse interests of more than 120,000 entities and 3.2 million professionals worldwide. ANSI is the official U.S. representative to the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). ANSI currently has offices in New York City and Washington, DC. FMI conducts programs in research, education, industry relations and public affairs on behalf of its 1,500 member companies — food retailers and wholesalers — in the United States and around the world. FMI's members in the United States operate approximately 26,000 retail food stores with a combined annual sales volume of $340 billion — three-quarters of all food retail store sales in the United States. FMI’s retail membership is composed of large multi-store chains, regional firms and independent supermarkets. Its international membership includes 200 companies from 50 countries. FMI acquired the rights to the Safe Quality Food (SQF) program in 2003 and established the SQF Institute to manage it.