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Bray Solutions has achieved BRCGS Global Standard for Storage and Distribution accreditation. Discover what this means for food and non-food clients and why it matters.
During the latter part of 2020, Bray Solutions’ Health and Safety Manager Adam and Head of Operations Phil were working through an intensive preparation process for a significant operational milestone: achieving BRCGS accreditation. The process required a systematic review of every operational procedure and physical infrastructure element across our warehousing and distribution operation.
Successfully achieving BRCGS accreditation was not just a compliance achievement. It was a genuine expansion of what Bray Solutions can offer its clients. The accreditation enabled us to extend our service capability to include ambient food storage and distribution, opening a category of client that we could not previously serve to the compliance standard required. And it provided every existing and prospective client with something that matters regardless of product category: independently verified assurance of the operational standards Bray Solutions maintains, assessed by a certification body rather than claimed by us.
This article explains what BRCGS accreditation is, what the process of achieving it involved at Bray Solutions, and what it means in practice for businesses evaluating or already working with us as their 3PL partner.
BRCGS, Brand Reputation through Compliance, was formerly known as the British Retail Consortium. The BRCGS Global Standard for Storage and Distribution is a safety and operational management system standard that applies to the warehousing, transportation, and distribution of food and non-food products.
The standard exists because retailers and brand owners who rely on third-party logistics operations to store and distribute their products cannot directly oversee the quality and safety of those operations on a daily basis. They need independent verification that the operations handling their products meet the standards required to protect the safety, quality, and integrity of those products. BRCGS provides that verification through a certification process carried out by an accredited third-party certification body.
The preparation for the BRCGS audit was a significant undertaking that required systematic attention to every aspect of the operation the standard covers. Adam and Phil led the process, working through the requirements of the standard methodically and ensuring that Bray Solutions’ operational procedures, physical infrastructure, and documentation all met the requirements before the audit took place.
The BRCGS standard covers a comprehensive range of operational areas including site management and security, product control and traceability, process control, personnel management and training, and specific requirements for handling food and non-food products in a storage and distribution environment.
The BRCGS audit is conducted by an auditor from an accredited certification body, independent of Bray Solutions. The assessment is based on three sources of evidence: review of documented procedures and records, staff interviews, and physical inspection of the warehouse operation.
The staff interviews are one of the aspects of the BRCGS audit that most clearly distinguishes it from a documentation-based assessment. The auditor interviews staff at various levels and functions of the operation to verify that the procedures described in the documentation are genuinely understood and followed by the people carrying out the work.
The most direct commercial consequence of achieving BRCGS accreditation was the expansion of Bray Solutions’ service capability to include ambient food storage and distribution. For businesses in the food and drink sector seeking a 3PL partner for their ambient product range, including dry food, snacks, condiments, beverages, supplements, and other ambient food products, our accreditation provides the independently verified assurance they need.
For clients in non-food categories, the accreditation provides independently verified assurance of the operational standards across site security, product traceability, process control, and staff training that applies to their products as much as to food products. The standard that BRCGS requires does not make exceptions for non-food products. The operational rigour it demands is applied consistently across the entire operation.
One of the most important aspects of BRCGS accreditation is that it is independently verified by a third-party certification body rather than self-reported by Bray Solutions. Any business can describe its own operational standards in favourable terms. BRCGS accreditation provides evidence that is not created by the business being assessed. It is created by an independent professional who has reviewed the documentation, interviewed the staff, and inspected the operation.
BRCGS accreditation is not a one-time achievement at Bray Solutions. It is maintained through ongoing compliance and regular reassessment, which means the accreditation reflects our current operational standards rather than those at a historical point.
Achieving BRCGS accreditation was a significant operational milestone for Bray Solutions, and it was the result of genuine investment in operational standards rather than a compliance exercise. The standards the accreditation requires are the standards that underpin the quality of service we deliver to every client, regardless of whether their product category requires accredited storage. For businesses seeking a 3PL partner whose operational standards have been independently verified to an internationally recognised benchmark, Bray Solutions’ BRCGS accreditation is a meaningful starting point for the conversation.
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Q: What does BRCGS stand for and what does the Global Standard for Storage and Distribution cover?
A: BRCGS stands for Brand Reputation through Compliance, formerly known as the British Retail Consortium. The Global Standard for Storage and Distribution is an internationally recognised safety and operational management system standard applicable to warehousing, transportation, and distribution of food and non-food products, covering site security, product traceability, process control, and personnel management.
Q: What does BRCGS accreditation allow Bray Solutions to do that it could not do before?
A: The accreditation enabled Bray Solutions to offer ambient food storage and distribution to clients in the food and drink sector. Prior to accreditation, we could not serve food businesses requiring independently verified accredited storage for their ambient products to the standard required by major retailers. We can now accommodate the full range of ambient food and non-food products.
Q: How is BRCGS accreditation different from a business simply claiming high operational standards?
A: BRCGS accreditation is independently verified by a third-party certification body through review of documented procedures, staff interviews, and physical inspection of the warehouse operation. It is not self-reported by the business being assessed. This independence is what gives the accreditation its value: it represents an external professional’s assessment of actual operational standards.
Q: Does BRCGS accreditation apply to non-food products as well as food products?
A: Yes. The BRCGS Global Standard for Storage and Distribution applies to both food and non-food products. The operational standards it requires across site security, product traceability, process control, and staff training apply consistently across the entire operation regardless of product category.
Q: Is BRCGS accreditation maintained ongoing or is it a one-time certification?
A: It requires ongoing compliance and is subject to regular reassessment by an independent certification body. The accreditation reflects current operational standards at the time it is held rather than standards demonstrated at a single historical point. Maintaining it requires continuing to meet the standard’s requirements consistently.
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