New standard sparks training surge

The Global Standard for Food Safety (Issue 5) was published on January 4^th by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) - Food companies requiring certification will need to comply with the revised requirements from 1^st July 2008.

Some of the changes to the standard are quite significant with more emphasis on food safety than detailed previously, as well as tighter requirements in other areas. RSSL Food Training has prepared essential training material to enable companies to understand the nature of the changes and the implications for their operations, some of which may take time to introduce. RSSL's one day workshops are run by very experienced certification body assessors and will be available at different geographical locations starting on January 28^th in Reading and continuing throughout the spring and early summer. Several clients have also been rushing to arrange in-house courses for key personnel to ensure that they are ready for the new standard when it comes into force.

"It is vital that companies are well prepared for the more stringent requirements of the new issue of the standard as a failure to achieve certification after July could have a very significant impact on their business," says Gill Palmer, Manager of RSSL Food Training. "We shall provide training on dates and in places that best suit food businesses and regular updates will be published on our website. We aim to give everyone the chance to get up to speed and to have their systems in place before the standard 'goes live' in July."