BRCGS Consumer Products Issue 5 Launches Today: What It Means and How We Can Help

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

Today, 13 October 2026, BRCGS Consumer Products Issue 5 is released. If you have been searching for BRCGS Consumer Products 5, wondering what has actually been published, when your first audit against it falls and what you should be doing about it, you are in the right place. This is the first post in a series, and over the coming weeks I will explain the new standard in my own words, section by section.

What Has Been Released

BRCGS has confirmed that Issue 5 of the Global Standard Consumer Products launches on 13 October 2026. BRCGS says it was developed with input from industry experts and stakeholders, and that it is aimed at certified sites, certification bodies and the wider consumer products industry.

I am a BRCGS Principal Trainer for Issue 5, which means I work closely with the published text. It also means I take the copyright seriously. The standard belongs to BRCGS and is available from them, so you will not find it reproduced here. What you will find is plain English explanation of what it means on a real site, which is the part nobody can write for you.

The Dates That Matter

13 October 2026: Issue 5 is released.

January 2027: my Issue 5 training starts, delivered remotely, for both sites and certification bodies.

1 June 2027: audits against Issue 5 commence. Until then, audits continue against Issue 4. Always check the audit protocol in the published standard for the definitive date that applies to your site.

Work out where your own audit falls against those dates today. A site audited in May 2027 is still on Issue 4. A site audited in June 2027 is on Issue 5. That one month changes your entire preparation, and I have already seen sites given loose advice about which issue they are heading for. Check it, in writing, with your certification body.

What the BRCGS Webinar Covered

Before launch, BRCGS ran a webinar called Issue 5 Revealed: Key Changes, Expert Insights & What to Expect. It was opened by Mike Wilson, Managing Director of BRCGS, and followed by a panel of the BRCGS experts who helped shape the standard. The recording is free to watch on demand in English, Spanish, Italian, Polish and Chinese. You can find it on the BRCGS news page, or go straight to the English recording. I will share my own notes and take on it in a separate post.

What This Means for You

If you are a certificated site, your first job is to get hold of the published standard and read it properly with your current system next to it. Then do a structured gap analysis, turn the gaps into an action plan with owners and dates, and leave time for your internal audits. The evidence needs to exist before the auditor arrives, not be created the week before.

If you are going for certification for the first time, you are in a good position. You can build straight to Issue 5 rather than building to Issue 4 and rebuilding.

If you are a certification body or an auditor, training comes first. Auditors need to be trained on Issue 5 before they audit against it, so now is the time to plan capacity and book.

If you use software to run your system, check it against the new requirements. A system built for Issue 4 will need updating, and it is far better to find that out now than on audit day.

What We Are Launching Today

Issue 5 is a significant change, so we are launching the support to go with it. Everything below is delivered remotely, so it works wherever you are.

Consultancy. I give you the tools and the direction, and you build and own the system. That way it is genuinely yours, it lasts, and your team understands it.

Training for sites. BRCGS Issue 5 training for site teams, starting in January 2027.

Training for auditors and certification bodies. Issue 5 auditor training, also starting in January 2027, so your auditors are ready before audits begin.

Software. Our Cornerstone eQMS is being updated to match the Issue 5 requirements, so your system keeps pace with the standard instead of fighting it.

Gap analysis. A remote, structured gap analysis of your current system against Issue 5, with a prioritised list of what needs to change and a plan to get you there.

What Comes Next

Over the next few weeks I will publish my take on the BRCGS webinar, a guide to the governance and audit changes, and a section by section walk through of the standard. Each post covers what changed, what it means on a real site and where sites tend to get caught out, all in my own words. I will give you enough to understand where you stand and where you need help. If you would rather not wait, the buttons below reach me directly.