The key elements of specifications

Contents

• The standards
• The requirements
• BRCGS Food Safety Issue 9

The standards

This article is written to meet the following sections of the Standards:

The requirements

Scope

Specifications must be in place for:

• Materials.
• Finished product (including those that are being outsourced).
• Services.
• Processing.

Material specifications

Accurate and up-to-date specifications for materials listed on the bill of materials, must be in place. The specifications must provide enough detail to meet the requirements of product development and also so that accurate finished product specifications to be constructed.

Service specifications

Accurate and up to date specifications for services must be in place. These must be agreed with the customer.

For outsourced processes where the material or product returns to the site, full specifications must be in place which describe the product, packaging and processing detail accurately.

Finished product specifications

The finished product specifications shall include (as applicable to food or packaging)

• Acceptable limits for the chemical, microbiological and physical attributes.
• Bill of materials.
• Ingredient declaration, including the presence of allergens.
• Nutritional.
• Preparation or cooking instructions.
• Storage instructions.
• Shelf-life and coding information.
• Quantity.
• Applicable use.

Customer specifications must be in the format requested by the customer, to ensure that the specification covers the relevant customer requirements.

Finished product specification should ideally be formally agreed with the customer.  Evidence that formal acceptance has been requested from the customer must be available.

Customer agreement of the specification may be:

• A signature.
• Confirmation by email.
• Through an electronic specifications system.
• As a minimum, an email to the customer, requesting approval.

Specifications must be in place for all finished products.

Customer branded product specifications must be formally agreed, this means that ideally, they should be signed by both parties. As a minimum, there must be evidence to show that the specification has been sent to the customer and approval requested.

Process specifications

Process specifications must be in available for relevant staff, to ensure that the finished product specification is met. These must detail the key information required for each process step, such as:

• Bill of materials.
• Process setting.
• Monitoring checks, frequency and acceptable limits.
• Product safety control points, frequency and critical limits.
• Packing configuration.
• Coding information.
• Quality attribute standards.
• Pallet configuration.
• Storage and handling requirements.
• Loading instructions and restrictions (e.g. mixed loads).”
• Change control “There must be a procedure in place to ensure that:
• Changes to specifications are controlled
• Information is transferred from agreed trials and finished product specifications, to process specifications and site systems.

Change control

This must include the following activities which must be recorded:

• Checks that the information has been accuracy transferred.
• There must be a process in place to ensure that specifications, pack copy and labelling is reviewed and updated whenever there are changes to the product, process, or formulation.
• Changes to specifications and agreements must be communicated to the customer, where required.
• Changes to specifications and agreements must be communicated to relevant staff, to ensure that information in use is always accurate and up-to-date.

Where no known changes have occurred, the specifications must be reviewed at least every 3 years, or more frequently if required by a specific customer, to ensure that they remain up to date and accurate.

BRCGS Food Safety Issue 9

3.6.1     Allergen standards have been added to the requirements for specifications.

3.5.4.4 A new clause has been added which states that specifications must be in place which control the product and the processing of the product

3.6.2     Change control is now required, to ensure that specifications are updated prior to the change taking place.

9.3.2     Clarification has been added that the specification must be formally agreed with suppliers as well as customers, where it applies – for outsourced traded products.

3.6.4     A log must now be in place for specification reviews and changes.