What’s the difference between BRC and BRCGS?

Ask three people in the food industry whether they need BRC or BRCGS certification, and you’ll likely get three different answers. Buyers ask for one. Auditors talk about the other. Older paperwork still references BRC, and some certification bodies switch between both terms in the same conversation without explaining why.

So, if you’re trying to work out which one applies to your business, the good news is you’re not missing something. The confusion is understandable, and there’s a simple explanation behind it. 

This blog explains what BRC and BRCGS mean, the differences between the two and what it means for your certification.

BRC and BRCGS differences explained

BRC stands for British Retail Consortium, the UK trade body that developed the original food safety standard back in 1998. It was one of the first standards to be benchmarked by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), and it quickly became one of the most widely adopted certification schemes in the food industry, recognised by retailers and manufacturers across the supply chain.

In 2016, BRC Global Standards (BRCGS), the standards arm of BRC, was acquired by the LGC Group, a scientific testing business. Three years later, in February 2019, it rebranded as BRCGS. 

The BRC still exists as a separate trade association representing UK retailers, but it no longer owns or runs the certification programme. That separation is where a lot of the confusion starts, because the two organisations now operate independently while sharing a name in everyday conversation.

The BRC acronym stuck around in general use because it was familiar, even after the rebrand. That’s why you’ll still hear people talk about BRC audits or being BRC certified today, when what they actually mean is BRCGS. 

Certification bodies, auditors and long-standing suppliers often use the two terms interchangeably without confusing anyone who’s been in the industry a while. Still, it can be a sticking point for anyone new to the industry or approaching certification for the first time.

Why the name changed

The rebrand wasn’t cosmetic. BRCGS had grown well beyond its UK retail origins, with certified sites across more than 130 countries by the time its name changed. Keeping ‘British’ in the title didn’t reflect what the standard had become, and it created friction in markets where a UK-specific label carried little commercial weight with local retailers. Its new name was designed to position the standard as an international benchmark, rather than a British one.

BRCGS now actually stands for ‘Brand Reputation Compliance Global Standards’, though most people in the industry use the acronym without unpacking what it stands for. 

However, the change was a rebrand, not a reset. The certification history, audit logic and underlying requirements carried straight through the transition. 

So, if you have any certificates, documentation or supplier records predating 2019 that reference BRC, they relate to the same scheme your current BRCGS certificate covers. 

What BRCGS covers

BRCGS isn’t a single standard. It’s a family of certification schemes covering different parts of the food and drink supply chain.

The BRC Global Standard for Food Safety is the one most food manufacturers and processors will need, and it’s currently on Issue 9. However, separate standards for Packaging Materials, Storage and Distribution, Consumer Products, and Agents and Brokers sit alongside it, with each written for the specific risks and processes relevant to that part of the chain. 

All the BRCGS standards are benchmarked by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), which is why most major retailers accept them as proof of a supplier’s food safety credentials without needing to run their own separate assessment on top. So, if you’re a supplier trying to win business with a new retail customer, GFSI recognition is the whole point of getting certified in the first place. It removes the need for multiple audits against multiple sets of retailer-specific criteria.

How BRCGS certification is graded

A BRCGS audit doesn’t produce a simple pass or fail. Accredited sites are graded AA, A, B, C or D, based on the number and severity of non-conformities the auditor finds during an assessment. 

AA sits at the top, while C and D grades signal that significant corrective action is needed, which, in some cases, can put your certification at risk.

Since Issue 9 came into force, unannounced audits are mandatory at least once every three years, on top of your scheduled audit cycle. Sites that pass an unannounced audit have a ‘+’ added to their grade, which is now a marker many retailers look for when assessing potential suppliers. It signals that a site’s food safety standards hold up during its normal operations, not just when everyone knows an auditor is coming.

Who needs BRCGS certification? 

BRCGS certification isn’t a legal requirement in the same way that HACCP is. Every food business in the UK must have an HACCP-based food safety management system by law, regardless of their size or sector. BRCGS, in contrast, is a commercial standard that most major UK and international retailers require their suppliers to hold before they’ll agree to stock a product.

While holding BRCGS Food Safety certification is essential for many food manufacturers and processors supplying the big retailers, packaging suppliers, storage and distribution companies, and businesses handling consumer products can all be asked for the equivalent BRCGS standard as a condition of doing business with a particular retailer or brand.

So, if you supply or are hoping to supply a major retailer, check exactly what they require before committing time and budget to certification. Some retailers accept BRCGS as their default standard. Others will accept a different GFSI-benchmarked scheme, or SALSA, as a recognised stepping stone for smaller and developing businesses working toward full BRCGS certification. 

Getting this confirmed early can help you avoid spending months preparing for BRCGS only to find the target retailer would be happy to accept a different certification.

Getting ready for BRCGS certification

Start by identifying which BRCGS standard applies to your business, since the requirements shift between versions. 

Run a gap analysis against your current documentation, HACCP plan and prerequisite programmes to see where you fall short of the standard’s requirements. 

Train your team on what the audit will look at, because auditors will assess your processes and your staff’s understanding of them on the day. 

Choose an accredited certification body early, since booking slots can fill up, particularly around common renewal periods when demand for auditors tends to spike.

A mock audit before the real one is worth the investment. It can surface any gaps you miss because you see them every working day and give you time to fix them before they show up as non-conformities on your official report. 

And build in time for corrective action. Many major non-conformities can usually be resolved before your certification is finalised, but only if you’ve allowed enough time in your schedule to investigate the cause properly and provide evidence that you’ve embedded the fix. 

How can Beacon Compliance help?

At Beacon Compliance, our team has more than 80 years’ combined industry experience working with food businesses across the UK, from first-time BRCGS applicants to established manufacturers managing multiple sites and certifications.

We know the standard inside out, and where businesses typically lose points on audit day. Our team can provide an in-depth gap analysis against your specific BRCGS standard, documentation support, staff training and mock audits, so you go into your audit as prepared as you can be. We can also help your business work out which standard applies before you commit budget to the wrong one.

So, whether you’re getting ready for your first BRCGS audit or working through a grade you weren’t happy with, get in touch to book a free, no-obligation consultation with our team to learn how we can help.