Module 5 Quality Assured Pork Sausages
Appendix 1 Pigs in blankets
Last Updated: 26 Jan 2022.
1.1 Incorporating pigs in blankets into the general charter rules
Referring to clause 2.1.1 in the General Charter Rules: All new applicants and charter participants shall hold a valid certificate of conformity (minimum Grade B) against the current version of the British Retail Consortium Global Standard for Food Safety (BRC GFS) and that the scope of approval shall include the operational activities relevant to the pork charter and its module(s) and take account of any seasonal lines e.g. pigs in blankets, that the charter member or applicant is being assessed against.
In the case of composite products e.g. pigs in blankets, each product component i.e. the bacon and the sausage, shall be certified against the appropriate pork module. The site at which the composite product is being produced shall have current certification against one of the pork modules (2, 3, 4 or 5).
1.2 Incorporating pigs in blankets into Module 2 BQAP
Referring to clause 1.2 in Module 2 BMPA Quality Assured Pork: Where a site is only assembling component packs e.g. pigs in blankets, and is not the manufacturer of the bacon or the pork sausage the following requirements shall be met:
- The site shall be certified against the BRC GFS (minimum Grade B) the scope of which shall include the assembly of pigs in blankets.
- The site shall be certified and approved against BMPA Quality Pork Charter Module 2 (BQAP).
- The site shall be compliant with the BMPA Quality Pork Charter Rules.
- The component products shall be sourced from current participants of the relevant BMPA Quality Pork Charter module i.e. Module 3 for bacon and Module 5 for pork sausage.
- The component products shall be listed on the supplying sites BMPA certificate of approved products.
- For sites displaying the Red Tractor logo on finished products both the component packing site and the sites where the pork sausage and bacon have been produced must be licensed by Red Tractor.
Guidance
There is no need for the site to be separately certified against either Module 3 (bacon) or Module 5 (pork sausage). If the site is a cutting plant with no other retail activity then charter audits shall include a review of compliance against the raw material receipt, storage, packing and finished product dispatch sections of either Module 3 or Module 5.
If the site is carrying out an additional process specific to the preparation for the assembly of pigs in blankets e.g. the slicing of bacon or the linking/cutting of pork sausage, this shall not trigger a requirement for the site to be approved against Module 3 or 5 but shall require the specific requirements of the Module 3 or 5 clause relevant to the additional process being undertaken to be assessed during charter audits with NC appropriately cross-referenced.
1.3 Incorporating pigs in blankets into Module 3 Bacon & Gammon
Referring to clause 1.2 in Module 3 Bacon & Gammon: Where a bacon site is producing component packs e.g. pigs in blankets, these shall be listed on the sites certificate of products approved against Module 3 (Bacon
Guidance
Referring to clause 2.1 in Module 3 Bacon & Gammon: The site shall retain a copy of the supplier’s BMPA Quality Assured Pork Sausage certificate of conformity and evidence that this and the bacon products produced on site have been certified as approved products against the appropriate BMPA Quality Pork Charter module. There is no requirement for the bacon site to be separately approved against Module 5 (Pork Sausage).
However, If the site has no other retail activity other than that associated with pigs in blankets, then charter audits shall include a review of compliance against the raw material receipt, storage, packing and finished product dispatch sections of Module 3.
If the site is carrying out an additional process specific to the preparation of sausage for the assembly of pigs in blankets eg linking or cutting, this shall not trigger a requirement for the site to be approved against Module 5 (Pork sausage) but shall require the specific requirements of the Module 5 clause relevant to the additional process to be assessed during charter audits with NC appropriately cross-referenced.
1.4 Incorporating pigs in blankets into Module 5 Pork Sausage
Referring to clause 1.2 in Module 5 Pork Sausage: Where a pork sausage site is producing component packs e.g. pigs in blankets, these shall be listed on the sites certificate of products approved against Module 5 (Pork sausage) and appear on the sites certificate of accredited products.
Guidance
Referring to clause 2.1 in Module 5 Pork Sausage: The site shall retain a copy of the supplier’s BMPA Quality Assured Bacon & Gammon certificate of conformity and evidence that this and the pork sausage products produced on site have been certified as approved products against the appropriate BMPA Quality Pork Charter module. There is no requirement for the pork sausage site to be separately approved against Module 3 (Bacon & Gammon).
However, If the site has no other retail activity other than that associated with pigs in blankets, then charter audits shall include a review of compliance against the raw material receipt, storage, packing and finished product dispatch sections of Module 5.
If the site is carrying out an additional process specific to the preparation of bacon for the assembly of pigs in blankets eg slicing or cutting, this shall not trigger a requirement for the site to be approved against Module 3 (Bacon & Gammon) but shall require the specific requirements of the Module 3 clause relevant to the additional process to be assessed during charter audits with NC appropriately cross-referenced.
1.5 Approval of pigs in blankets
To assist with interpretation the following flow diagram has been prepared:
1.5.1 All sites pre-requisite requirements are as follows:
- The site shall be certified against the BRC GFS (minimum Grade B) the scope of which shall include the assembly of pigs in blankets.
- The site shall be compliant with the BMPA Quality Pork Charter Rules.
- All sites involved in the process shall be current participants in the BMPA Quality Pork Charter.
1.5.2 Site specific requirements are shown in the table below:
| BACON & GAMMON SITE | PORK SAUSAGE SITE | BQAP or STANDALONE SITE |
|---|---|---|
| Assembly site to be a current approved participant of the BMPA Quality Pork Charter Module 3 (Bacon & Gammon) | Assembly site to be a current approved participant of the BMPA Quality Pork Charter Module 5 (Pork Sausage) | Assembly site to be a current approved participant of the BMPA Quality Pork Charter Module 2 (BQAP) |
| Bacon manufactured on site or sourced from a current BMPA Module 3 certified participant. | Pork Sausage manufactured on site or sourced from a current BMPA Module 5 certified participant. | Both the bacon and pork sausage to be sourced from current BMPA Module 3 (Bacon & Gammon) and Module 5 (Pork Sausage) certified participants. |
| PIB shall appear on the assembly sites BMPA certificate of accredited products. | PIB shall appear on the assembly sites BMPA certificate of accredited products. | PIB shall appear on the assembly sites BMPA certificate of accredited products. |
| The assembly site shall hold copies of BMPA certificates to prove that all component products, whether manufactured on site or sourced externally, have been certified against the relevant BMPA Quality Pork Charter module. | The assembly site shall hold copies of BMPA certificates to prove that all component products, whether manufactured on site or sourced externally, have been certified against the relevant BMPA Quality Pork Charter module. | The assembly site shall hold copies of BMPA certificates to prove that all component products, whether manufactured on site or sourced externally, have been certified against the relevant BMPA Quality Pork Charter module. |
 Where the RT logo is to be displayed on retail pack, the bacon site and the site supplying the pork sausage shall be licensed by Red Tractor. | Where the RT logo is to be displayed on retail pack, the pork sausage site and the site supplying the bacon shall be licensed by Red Tractor. | Where the RT logo is to be displayed on retail pack, the assembly site and the sites supplying the pork sausage and bacon shall be licensed by Red Tractor. |