Food safety is a key factor within the food industry. Consumers trust that the food they buy is safe for consumption. To guarantee this trust and to meet the high standards of the food industry, obtaining a BRC certificate is extremely important. In this blog, you’ll find out what a BRC certificate is, why it is so important in the food sector and how Elpress can help you get a certificate for your company.
What is a BRC certificate?
BRC stands for British Retail Consortium, a leading standard for food safety and quality control. The BRC certificate is a globally recognised certification that ensures compliance with strict standards in the field of food safety. The certificate assess various aspects, including product integrity, food safety systems, production processes and the traceability of raw materials.
The importance of food safety
Ensuring food safety should be a top priority for every organisation in the food industry. Food safety is of great importance for protecting consumers against the potentially harmful consequences of contaminated food. The BRC certificate enables companies to comply with the statutory requirements put in place by government agencies.
Obtaining a BRC certificate improves your company’s reputation. It shows that your organisation takes food safety seriously and will contribute to client confidence and provide business opportunities because it can open doors to markets and clients that demand a BRC certificate.
Elpress can contribute to BRC certification in various ways
To comply with the requirements of BRC certification, companies must thoroughly evaluate their internal processes and procedures in the field of food safety and make certain employee facilities available. Elpress supplies facilities that are designed to minimise risks of product contamination and can implement hygiene products in the production environment. From the personal hygiene of employees to the cleaning of production areas. Elpress is the only producer of personal hygiene equipment to have been awarded HACCP International Certification. This certificate proves that our products meet a high quality standard.
Hygiene protocols and hygiene entrances are realistic solutions that actively contribute to the personal hygiene of your employees. A hygiene entrance is a means for assuring the personal hygiene of employees and visitors of companies.
When an employee wants to enter a high care area then the BRC stipulates that they should change their footwear or clean it thoroughly. Hands and the soles of footwear are cleaned and disinfected in the hygiene entrance. Setting up a hygiene entrance varies from company to company and is always matched to personal needs and wishes. Consider, for example, the number of users, the desired hygiene process and the space available (including if there is limited space for the hygiene entrance).
The hygiene entrances of Elpress are available in various combinations and versions:
- Sole cleaning and hand disinfection
- Sole disinfection and hand disinfection
- Sole cleaning, hand disinfection and shaft cleaning
- Sole cleaning/disinfection, hand washing and hand disinfection
- Sole cleaning/disinfection, hand washing, drying and disinfection
- Double versions
- Hygiene stations
A hygiene entrance can be added to as required. Elpress offers various optional extras such as person and time registration, an integrated model in which the hygiene entrances is recessed into the floor and a centralised chemical supply in which all chemicals are supplied from a large tank
Controlled access
To ensure that the staff complies with the protocols for personal hygiene, Elpress advises the use of a turnstile, especially in areas of high risk. The turnstiles guarantee a supervisory procedure and guarantee the effectiveness of the hygiene measures. For this purpose, the hygiene entrance has an access control feature to ensure that employees clean and disinfect their hands and boots before they enter the production area. Once the employee has gone through the mandatory steps, access will be granted; this ensures that hygiene requirements are always complied with before someone enters the shop floor.
Efficient personal hygiene
In short, obtaining a BRC certificate is extremely important for food companies. To meet the BRC requirements, Elpress can play an important role for you. We offer a number of options: from complete hygiene entrances and cleaning systems to washing installations.
Would you like to know more about what measures you need to take in the field of personal hygiene to be able to qualify for a hygiene certificate? Then download our whitepaper 'Check-list Personal Hygiene'.
