BRCGS Consumer Products Issue 4 PCH Higher Explained: Section by Section

By Robert Low, Director, Lead Auditor & BRCGS Approved Trainer

With all the noise around Issue 5, it is easy to forget a simple fact: BRCGS Consumer Products Issue 4 remains the audited standard until April 2027. If your audit falls before then, and for most certificated sites at least one more does, Issue 4 Personal Care and Household at Higher level is the standard you will be judged against, and it deserves your full attention right up until the day it retires. This series gives it that attention, section by section, from a practitioner’s seat.

How Issue 4 PCH Higher Is Built

The standard runs across seven sections. Senior management commitment sets the tone and resources from the top. Product risk assessment covers legislation, the risk assessment itself, labelling and claims, and packaging. The product safety and quality management section is the engine room: documents, records, internal audits, supplier approval, specifications, corrective action, traceability, complaints and recall. Site standards covers the fabric and hygiene of the factory. Product inspection and testing proves the product is what you say it is. Process control governs manufacturing itself, including the process risk assessment and contamination controls. Personnel closes the loop with training, protective clothing and hygiene practices.

The Series

Each post in this series covers one section, or one meaty part of one: what the section is really asking for, where auditors concentrate, the non-conformities I see repeatedly, and how to evidence compliance well. The posts are: Section 1, senior management commitment; Section 2, product risk assessment, labelling and packaging; Section 3 part 1, the management system, internal audits and supplier approval; Section 3 part 2, traceability, corrective action, complaints and recall; Section 4, site standards; Section 5, product inspection and testing; Section 6 part 1, process control; Section 6 part 2, contamination control and foreign body detection; and Section 7, personnel.

One Eye on Issue 5

Every post ends with a short note on how that section changes under Issue 5, because the smartest way to prepare for your last Issue 4 audit is to fix things in a way that also serves your first Issue 5 audit. The full picture of what is coming sits in my Issue 5 draft breakdown, and working out which standard your next audit falls under takes two minutes with the timeline guide. If your Issue 4 audit is booked and you want experienced eyes on your readiness, the buttons below reach me directly.