Governance

BRCGS is operated by a Senior Management Team with strategic and technical input from various Technical Advisory Committees and an International Advisory Board.

Technical Advisory Committees

BRCGS Standards and related schemes are managed by the BRCGS Programmes Team and governed by Technical Advisory Committees (TACs), each operating under specific terms of reference. These committees serve as a forum for input from diverse stakeholders, including manufacturing trade associations, retailers, regulatory bodies, certification bodies, and sector experts.

International Advisory Board

The International Advisory Board (IAB) consists of organisations interested in the development, implementation and maintenance of BRCGS Standards such as leading global retailers, food service companies and producers. The role of the IAB is to provide strategic and technical guidance. To ensure global representation and input, IABs convene regionally.

Headed by an independent Chair with a global understanding of standards and product safety, the role of the IAB is to:

Review and advise on strategic issues relevant to the development of BRCGS Standards with a view to protecting and enhancing their global reputation.
Advise on threats and opportunities in relation to the growth and development of the BRCGS certification.
Monitor performance of all aspects of BRCGS certification, receive reports on internal compliance and advise on procedures to protect certification integrity.
Direct and review activities of the Technical Advisory Committees as appropriate.

Current IAB members

Chair - Gillian Kelleher

Europe

Bizhan Pourkomailian Director, Global Food Safety – Restaurants & Distribution, McDonalds	Caroline Easterbrook Director WW Food Safety Amazon	Darina Hall Snr Director Technical, Quality & Sustainable Sourcing, Asda	Dawn Welham Quality Assurance Director Aldi Stores Ltd.	Debbie Barnes Director of Central Technical Operations Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd	Emma Adams Head of Technical Greggs PLC


Hugh Mowat Safety & Compliance Director WM Morrison’s Supermarkets plc	Leon Mol Director Product Safety & Social Compliance Ahold Delhaize	Kristine Hjorth Quality Director Orkla Foods	Lindsay Hay Director of Quality Assurance PepsiCo	Oduro Ampaw Group Technical Director 2 Sisters Food Group	Sabien Pollet Group Quality Systems Manager at Puratos NV/SA

Sam Barrett Director, FSQRN EMEA Starbucks Coffee Company	Sam Kinzelmann Head of Quality, Regulatory & Technical Waitrose Ltd	Steve Purser Product Regulatory Compliance & International Director Tesco PLC	Will Watts Head of Food Technology - Central Operations Marks and Spencer

Americas

Adam Zamorski Director of Global Quality Auditing at Mondelez	Ana Morales Global Director, Food Safety Grupo Bimbo SA de CV	Asya Salter Sr. Director Supplier Food Safety Walmart	Carolina Wagner Corporate Quality Manager at BRF SA	Colleen Mueller Head of North American Food Safety Anheuser Busch InBev	Joe Buckley, Director - Food Safety and Quality Assurance, Sysco Corporation


Patricia McGeough VP Food Safety, Quality, Safety & Environment Kerry Group	Rodger Ziolkowski VP Global FSQC Griffith Foods	Sharon Birkett VP Global Quality Operations OSI Group	Stephen Vijauakumar Manager Food Safety at Sobeys	Suzanne Finstad Vice President, Food Safety & Quality Assurance Tyson Foods, Inc	Tom Ford Vice President, Food Safety & Quality Assurance Compass Group

China

Changyuan Yu JD.com	Cindy Feng	Cynthia Qu Yum China	June Zhou Walmart and Sam's Club	Lili Yu Mars	Olive Huang Metro


Ruby Jin ALDI	Sanjeev Sharma Pepsico	Ukey Starbucks	Wenting Ju Griffiths Foods	Wing Yan	Xiaoyan Ye Ants Alliance

Yongmei Cao Want-Want

BRCGS Standard development

BRCGS Standards and Modules are developed according to a specific scope or scopes that relate to activities carried out at a site. The development of a BRCGS Standard is a collaborative effort led by a working group that includes the BRCGS Programme Manager, BRCGS representatives, and key stakeholders such as industry experts, retailers, brand owners, accreditation bodies, academics, and certification bodies. The development process, which typically spans 18 months, involves identifying industry challenges within the Standard’s scope to integrate them into the next iteration or a new publication.

Before the working group begins, BRCGS gathers stakeholder feedback through a public consultation, promoted via various marketing channels. This feedback is evaluated and incorporated into the working group’s initial agenda for discussion. Throughout the drafting process, all aspects of the Standard - including requirements and protocols - can be updated, modified, or added, depending on the needs of its users. The scope, maturity, and application of the Standard influence the inclusion of new elements, such as unannounced audit programs or additional benchmarking requirements.

When the Standard reaches the final draft stage, it undergoes another public consultation, where stakeholder comments are reviewed and analysed. The draft is then refined further, reviewed by the working group, and finally approved for publication by the Head of Programmes. The Programme Manager compiles the requirements, protocols, introduction, and appendices, and initiates the publication process.

Publishing involves professional technical copy-editing by editors experienced with the nuances of BRCGS Standards. All edits are tracked and reviewed by the Programme Manager to ensure the original intent and meaning of the text remain intact.

Once published, there is typically a six-month transition period before audits begin under the new version of the Standard. This time allows for:

- Auditor training and updates to certification body processes

- Site personnel training (if necessary)

- Accreditation of the Standard by global accreditation bodies

- Benchmarking by third-party organisations

BRCGS announces an official implementation date, marking when audits will transition from the previous issue of the Standard to the new one. This date is crucial for BRCGS systems, approved certification bodies, and certificated sites to ensure a smooth transition.