BRCGS Audit Options Explained: Announced, Unannounced and Blended Audits

By Robert Low, Lead Management System Specialist and BRCGS Approved Trainer

BRCGS standards give certificated sites a choice of audit options, and choosing well is a genuine strategic decision rather than an admin formality. With Consumer Products Issue 5 set to add a new option to the menu, here is how the three routes work and how to think about which one fits your site.

Announced Audits

The default. The audit date is agreed with your certification body in advance, and the full standard is audited in a single site visit. Announced audits suit sites new to certification, sites in heavy change, and sites whose customers have no unannounced requirement. The honest downside is the one everybody knows: a known date invites weeks of preparation, and the audit sees the site at its best rather than as it usually is.

Voluntary Unannounced Audits

The site opts in, and the audit arrives without notice within a defined window at the end of the audit cycle. Successful sites receive the plus grade, AA+ down to D+, which I covered in my article on BRCGS audit grades. Sites can nominate a limited number of days when an audit genuinely cannot happen, planned customer visits for example, but otherwise the expectation is simple: be audit ready every day. My personal opinion, which I put in my Issue 5 consultation feedback, is that unannounced auditing is the single best mechanism the industry has for separating genuinely well-run sites from well-rehearsed ones, and I would happily see the scheme adopt a routine unannounced element rather than a purely voluntary one. A first audit against the standard is always announced; unannounced is for certificated sites.

Blended Announced Audits, the New Option

The Issue 5 draft introduces a blended announced option for recertification audits: a remote audit of documented systems and records conducted over screen sharing and document platforms, followed by an on-site audit concentrating on production, storage and the factory floor. The certification body must first risk assess whether a robust remote element is achievable at your site, and it is not available for initial audits. For sites with mature electronic document systems, and for groups managing audit logistics across many locations, this is a welcome and practical addition. I said exactly that in my consultation feedback.

Choosing for the Issue 5 Transition

One tactical point worth thinking about: your first audit against a new issue of a standard involves enough novelty on its own. If you have never done an unannounced audit, the transition year may not be the moment to combine two firsts. Get your first Issue 5 audit done well, then consider stepping up to unannounced for the commercial benefit of the plus grade. For working out when your first Issue 5 audit falls, see the Issue 5 timeline.