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The BRC standard, which sets special requirements for manufacturers, is not compulsory. The BRC (British Retail Consortium) standards are revised upward every three years, while certification takes place annually. The BRC standards consist of more than 300 requirements covering all aspects of the production process and regulating the equipment used by the manufacturer, the qualifications of the personnel, the quality and suitability of the raw materials and health and hygiene criteria. Also covered are the management system, the level of production process management, quality and food safety self-regulation and the application of scientific and technical advances in the production process. When certifying a company, an assessment is also made of how quickly it would be possible to find the source of a mistake in the event of a problem and how effectively it would be remedied.

In January 2015, the BRC issued its new Global Standard for Food Safety Version 7. As of 1 July this year, audits are being performed at food manufacturing companies in accordance with the requirements of Version 7 of the Standard. The major changes are an increase of transparency and traceability in the supply chain, assessment and control of raw material authenticity and the risk of its falsification, paying greater attention to the implementation of Best Practice in the production processes, and compulsory auditing of the suppliers of raw materials and packaging, if they have not been certified according to the Global BRC Standard or any other schemes recognised by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI). The requirements of the place of manufacture are supplemented by assessments and classifications of high risk for supervision of the premises, product flow and pathways, requirements for product labelling, etc.

“Once you become a certified manufacturer, greater export opportunities are opened up. We are already producing more than five million items of instant noodles and porridge per month. Having a certificate is proof that merchants and consumers abroad trust our products, since we export about 95% of our production. We have achieved a competitive advantage in international markets. We can publicly declare that we are determined to supply safe, high-quality instant noodles and porridge throughout the world”, said Chairman of the Board of “KG Group” Mr. Tautvydas Barstys. He added that from a business point of view this highest rating for Food Safety will be a significant incentive for well-known mercantile networks or companies abroad to choose Lithuanian products.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) Global Standard for Food Safety was devised and introduced for the purpose of ensuring suppliers’ compliance with requirements and to make it possible for traders to guarantee the safety and quality of the products they sell. The British Retail Consortium commenced certifications in 1998 and since then their certification has become known and valued in most countries. The majority of retailers and trademark owners in the United Kingdom, North America and Europe only deal with suppliers who are certified according to the appropriate BRC standard.