Food safety in packaging: Does HACCP still cut it?

Wholegrain Milling Co Australia uses multiwall paper sacks that are BRCGS certified

The bar for food safety in Australia and New Zealand has risen, and, quite rightly, continues to rise. In addition to higher expectations around safety, there’s a growing disconnect for food and ingredient manufacturers. While production facilities might operate under strict compliance protocols, packaging often comes from suppliers with the basic – and increasingly outdated – HACCP certification.

This raises a critical question: is your packaging really meeting the standard your business needs?

HACCP vs BRCGS – what’s the difference?

HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) has long been the entry-level standard in food safety. As a system it focuses on identifying and managing food safety hazards in production processes.

But when it comes to packaging, HACCP is no longer sufficient for most food-grade applications—especially if you’re supplying supermarkets or exporting.

BRCGS stands for ‘Brand Reputation Compliance Global Standards’ and was formerly known as ‘British Retail Consortium’ (BRC). Packaging materials rated against BRCGS go several steps further than HACCP standards in terms of food safety assurance.

Importantly for Australian and New Zealand manufacturers, BRCGS Global Standard Packaging Materials is GFSI-recognised (Global Food Safety Initiative) and has now become the global industry benchmark. This standard:

  • Requires a certified quality management system
  • Includes product safety and hygiene controls
  • Covers foreign matter exclusion, allergen management, and facility risk zones
  • Demands full traceability from raw materials to final packaging
  • Is often mandated by major BRCGS retailers and food brands

Over 70% of supermarket private-label programs in Australia and globally now require BRCGS or a GFSI-recognised standard for packaging suppliers.

(Source: BRCGS, 2024)

Cases of BRCGS in action:

  • Major food brands (including cereals, ingredients, protein blends) now audit packaging suppliers using BRCGS compliance as a benchmark—especially when exporting to Europe, North America or Asia-Pacific markets.
  • Woolworths and Aldi have explicitly required GFSI certification (such as BRCGS) for suppliers of direct food contact materials in recent updates to supplier agreements.
  • In 2023, a food manufacturer was forced to recall a batch of product due to foreign matter found in a non-BRCGS-certified bag—despite the bag being supplied under a HACCP-only facility. The incident cost the business over $1.2m in lost product, rework and retailer penalties.

Smart Pack’s food-safe packaging

At Smart Pack, we’ve made a clear decision to partner with manufacturers who are BRCGS Packaging Materials certified. We did this not because it’s easy—but because it’s what our customers need.

We support food producers, processors and ingredient suppliers with:

  • Paper, polywoven and bulk packaging manufactured under globally recognised food-safe conditions
  • Full documentation, traceability, and compliance with Coles, Woolworths, Aldi and export standards
  • Packaging that meets functionality, shelf-life, and safety needs

 

Is your current packaging supplier up to standard?

If your packaging supplier can’t provide BRCGS certification—or can only provide HACCP—it might be time to ask some tough questions:

  • How are foreign matter and hygiene risks managed?
  • Is your packaging line introducing compliance risk into your product
  • Could this impact retailer audits or export opportunities?

Relevant products:

NZ +64 6 356 9835

AU +61 29 189 0894