If you supply packaged food products to South African retailers — particularly major chains like Shoprite, Pick n Pay, Woolworths, SPAR or Checkers — your packaging supplier's food safety credentials are not optional. BRC and HACCP certification are increasingly a retailer requirement, not just a nice-to-have. Here's what these certifications mean and why they matter for your flexible packaging specification.
What is BRC certification for packaging?
The BRC Global Standard for Packaging and Packaging Materials is an internationally recognised food safety standard developed by the British Retail Consortium. It was originally created to help UK retailers audit their packaging suppliers, but has grown into a globally recognised benchmark for packaging manufacture.
BRC certification for packaging specifically covers:
- Hygiene management in the manufacturing facility
- Contamination control — chemical, physical and microbiological
- Traceability systems — the ability to trace any batch of packaging material back to its raw material inputs
- Quality management systems — documented procedures for every stage of production
- Pest control — critical in South Africa's climate where pest pressure is significant
- Allergen management — particularly relevant for food-contact materials
BRC certification is audited annually by a UKAS or equivalent accredited certification body. The audit is unannounced (or with short notice), giving the standard genuine credibility. A BRC-certified supplier cannot simply prepare for an annual inspection and then revert to poor practice — the unannounced nature of audits ensures ongoing compliance.
What grades of BRC certification exist?
BRC-certified facilities are graded A, B or C based on audit performance:
- Grade A — exemplary compliance, minor non-conformances only
- Grade B — good compliance, some non-conformances identified
- Grade C — the minimum passing grade, significant non-conformances identified and corrective actions required
When specifying a packaging supplier, ask for their BRC certificate and note the grade. Most major retailers and food manufacturers require Grade A or B suppliers. Grade C certificates are valid but indicate areas for improvement.
Tip: Always ask for a current BRC certificate, not just a claim of BRC certification. Certificates expire annually. A supplier whose certificate has lapsed is not BRC certified, regardless of past performance.
What is HACCP and how does it apply to packaging?
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) is a systematic preventive approach to food safety that identifies physical, chemical and biological hazards in the production process. HACCP is a legal requirement for food manufacturers in South Africa under R638 (Regulations Governing General Hygiene Requirements for Food Premises), but it also applies to food-contact packaging manufacturers.
For a flexible packaging manufacturer, HACCP involves:
- Hazard identification — what could go wrong at each stage of film extrusion, printing, lamination and conversion?
- Critical Control Points (CCPs) — the specific process points where a hazard can be controlled
- Critical limits — measurable parameters (temperature, pressure, seal strength) that define acceptable process performance
- Monitoring procedures — how CCPs are monitored in real time
- Corrective action procedures — what happens when a CCP falls outside its critical limit
- Verification and record-keeping — demonstrating the system is working
HACCP is embedded within BRC certification — a BRC-certified manufacturer will have a fully documented and implemented HACCP plan as part of their quality management system.
Why do major SA retailers require certified packaging?
South African food retailers have significantly strengthened their supplier food safety requirements over the past decade, accelerated by high-profile contamination incidents globally and increasing regulatory scrutiny from the NRCS (National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications) and DALRRD.
Retailers require BRC and HACCP-certified packaging suppliers for several reasons:
- Liability management — if a food safety incident is traced back to packaging contamination, a retailer needs to demonstrate due diligence in supplier selection
- Consumer protection — packaging that introduces physical, chemical or microbiological contamination causes direct consumer harm
- Audit efficiency — BRC certification provides a standardised audit framework that allows retailers to verify supplier competence efficiently
- Export market access — South African food manufacturers selling into Europe, the UK or Middle East markets are required by their customers to use BRC-certified packaging
How to verify a supplier's certifications
The BRC Global Standards maintains a public directory of certified sites at brcdirectory.com. You can search by company name or location to verify a supplier's current BRC certificate status, grade and scope.
For HACCP, there is no central directory — you should request a copy of the supplier's HACCP plan summary (they do not need to share the full document) and ask to see their most recent internal audit results.
For both certifications, always request the original certificate (not a photocopy or screenshot) and verify the validity dates. BRC certificates are valid for 12 months from the audit date.
What does Flexweb's BRC and HACCP certification cover?
Flexweb (Pty) Ltd holds current BRC Global Standard for Packaging and Packaging Materials certification, alongside ISO quality management and HACCP certifications, covering our Germiston manufacturing facility.
Our certification scope covers the manufacture of flexible packaging materials including co-extruded films, laminates, stand-up pouches, liner bags and converted flexible products for food, pharmaceutical and industrial applications.
Copies of our current certificates are available on request from our sales team — contact us at info@flexweb.co.za or view our Certifications page.