ShipMonk is committed to providing premier 3PL services that cater to the needs of ecommerce brands of all sizes and types. However, some brands have unique requirements based on their products, for example HAZMAT products, products requiring FDA approval, and products that are sensitive to temperature. As part of our commitment to being a top, modern 3PL, many of our facilities adhere to the strictest, industry-leading standards for these kinds of sensitive products. In line with this commitment, we are BRCGS certified in “Storage and Distribution”.

But what does this certification mean? How does our adherence to BCRGS standards and our top grades in performance across the “Storage and Distribution” category affect your ecommerce brand?

Let’s dive in.

The GFSI Standard

To understand the positive impact of BRCGS certification, we need to first look at GFSI, the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI). This initiative is all about the development of food safety management systems that ensure food handling and processing facilities keep products safe for consumers. Before GFSI was formed, retailers and warehouse managers performed inspections themselves or recruited their own third-party auditors to examine the facilities where sensitive products were being manufactured and stored. The problem with that, naturally, is a lack of standardization for safety protocols, which can endanger the public long term. 

After several high-profile food recalls in 2000 relating to this, GFSI was created to restore consumer confidence in the food and beverage industry and develop internationally-recognized benchmarks for food safety. Nowadays, ecommerce brands with FDA-approved products look to GFSI to give their manufacturing, storage, and distribution facilities the green light.

GFSI Audits and Certifications

GFSI audits occur annually and can be unannounced; this helps ensure facilities are always up to par with GFSI, not just in anticipation of an auditor visit. Sites are considered GFSI certified if audits prove they adhere to the established GFSI quality guidelines. The Brand Reputation through Compliance Global Standard (BRCGS) is an international food safety management systems entity that GFSI recognizes to ensure a location is meeting GFSI requirements. AIB International is an auditing company that verifies if sites meet BRCGS requirements. In order to be GFSI certified, ShipMonk uses AIB International to ensure site compliance to BRCGS.

The Importance of BRCGS

BRCGS was founded to harmonize food safety standards across the supply chain and build confidence in the supply chain. The company is now recognized in food and non-food categories as the keepers of the highest product standards, as their certification processes involve rigorous tests and impeccably trained auditors. Overall, BRCGS sets the worldwide benchmark in the areas of: 

• Food Safety
• Packaging Materials
• Storage and Distribution
• Consumer Products
• Agents and Brokers
• Gluten-Free Products
• Plant-Based Products
• Ethical Trading

Why the BRCGS “Storage and Distribution” Certification Matters

Supply chains are complex, especially in an ecommerce environment that often utilizes global partners in the transit from manufacturing to storage to distribution. That journey comes with risk and exposure as products pass hands. Some of the greatest vulnerabilities your ecommerce brand’s products may face include:

• Any unpredictability in demand planning
• How concentrated and adaptive your supply network is
• The resiliency of your logistics partners 
• The duties, tariffs, and customs that affect your brand
• How much financial flexibility your company has
• The complexity of each product
• How susceptible you are to regulatory changes
• How susceptible you are to product material changes
• Your brand’s ability to react quickly to supply chain disruption

With all that at stake, ecommerce brands need to choose 3PL services from a provider that can offer as much stability as possible and that has been verified to meet the highest storage and distribution standards.

The Storage and Distribution Standard that BRCGS launched in 2020 facilitates “a process of continual improvement through well-designed risk-based product safety management systems. It ensures the quality and safety of products during their storage and distribution throughout the supply chain.” —  BRCGS

Basically, the standard is meant to hold logistics companies and ecommerce brands involving food, packaging, and consumer products accountable to the best standards so customers have assurance that products are safe, legal, and high quality. 

Sites in over 50 countries currently use BRCGS as a means to elevate their 3PL warehouses, ecommerce brand standing, and public trust. “The storage and/or distribution operations to which the Standard is applied can be at any point in the distribution chain from primary production to retail.”  —  BRCGS

Through this certification, operations may choose to harness Additional Modules (AMs) that cover even more common, current industry practices. AM add-on options include: wholesale, contracted parking, inspection, waste management, cross-docking and, of course, ecommerce.

Certification Benefits at a Glance

ShipMonk and BRCGs

ShipMonk’s Florida, Pennsylvania, California, Nevada, and Kentucky locations have all earned BRCGS “Storage and Distribution” certifications with ratings of either AA or AA+. The ratings available for any facility undergoing an audit are: AA, A, two classes of B rating, three classes of C rating, and three classes of D rating. Each rating has a + added to the grade if the audit was completed unannounced, which is a more trustworthy score because facilities do not have a chance or any notice to prepare in advance.

Warehouses with AA and AA+ ratings have an audit frequency of 12 months (18 months for existing certified sites handling consumer products). At ShipMonk, we renew our certifications annually since they hold a lot of weight for our food, cosmetics, and other FDA-product clients.

“These certifications demonstrate that we’re constantly working to improve. They’re a way for us to show our current and prospective clients that we’re meeting the industry’s best guidelines and ensuring their products are taken care of.”

— Becky Belotti, ShipMonk Corporate Quality and Compliance Engineer

The Folks Behind the Scenes

Becky works in tandem with ShipMonk’s Director of Launch Operations, Conner Dart. Their departments ensure that all ShipMonk locations are meeting client expectations in these sensitive areas, if not exceeding them. 

When a ShipMonk onboarding associate is introduced to a client relating to food or FDA compliance products, they loop our expert Becky in. “Clients will typically want to know what kind of certifications we have and at which facilities,” Becky says. So she provides that information and makes sure all questions are answered before migrating inventory and launching fulfillment. For example, some clients may need temperature-controlled warehouses. I then step in and set them up with one of our three 3PL warehouses that offer that—TX, PA, and NV. 

Clients and onboarding associates contact Becky directly to ensure all ShipMonk storage and distribution trains are running smoothly. This also makes her ShipMonk’s point person for ensuring our BRCGS certifications are renewed annually, and that our 3PL warehouses are consistently scoring at the highest possible ratings level. 

Overall, as our Corporate Quality and Compliance Engineer, Becky oversees anything to do with food, FDA products, and HAZMAT regulations. “If there’s any kind of regulatory body out there concerning our clients’ products, I am involved, squaring things away.”

Going Above and Beyond

ShipMonk wants every ecommerce brand to feel like their products are in the absolute best hands. As part of that, in addition to utilizing GFSI and BRCGS to demonstrate our top-rated commitment to industry standards, we perform quarterly internal audits at each of our sites. These internal audits may also be unannounced, encouraging our 3PL warehouses to maintain top compliance standards at all times. Every one of our ShipMonk facilities has a quality and compliance representative reporting to Becky. These reps are involved with the audits and harness their access to our Quality Management System for maintaining each site’s GFSI certification.

Quick Q&A with Becky Belotti, Corporate Quality and Compliance Engineer

Q: If a client wanted, can they set up a tour of a facility?

A: Yes, it can be arranged and we welcome tours!

Q: Does ShipMonk’s Virtual Carrier Network still work for these more sensitive products?

A: Yes, you can count on the VCN’s shipping rate and service advantages regardless of your brand’s specific products.

Q: Is there a preferred shipping method for these more sensitive products?

A: No, not a general one anyway. It depends on the product.

Q: Does peak season affect FDA products any differently?

A: FDA products aren’t affected differently during peak season; they ship with the same routine cadence as other products.

Q: Any plans to get other facilities BRCGS certified?

A: Yes, we’re looking at getting our Texas facility certified in 2025.

Q: If you had to sum up the mantra you and your team apply to work, what would it be?

A: We believe in putting positive energy out there and always being willing to jump in and help our clients whenever they need us.

Q: What brought you to specialize in this important role at ShipMonk?

A: My original background is in microbiology and molecular biology. I love science and started my career working with specialty FDA-regulated products like dietary supplements, plasma, that kind of thing. During that time I got involved in quality and compliance endeavors and ended up working in process improvement. So when the opportunity to work in this role at ShipMonk came up it was perfect. I have end-to-end experience working with these kinds of products and that gives me an in-depth perspective that benefits the role, and the ecommerce brands we work with.

Learn More about Our High Standards

After every audit, BRCGS prepares a full written report that is provided to ShipMonk, and can be provided to ShipMonk’s customers and prospects. The report contains a company profile and a summary of the site’s performance in references to BRCGS standards. It is broken down into the following sections.

• Details and summary of findings
• Possible non-conformities and corrective actions that need to be taken, plus their root causes and possible preventative action
• Explanation of certification clauses assessed
• A checklist of compliance with each clause
• Information on the product safety controls in place
• Improvements since the last audit

If you have an ecommerce brand that sells food, beverages, other FDA-approved products, even HAZMAT materials, and want to learn more about working with a 3PL leading the industry in certification standards, contact the ShipMonk team now; we’d be happy to help you find services and 3PL warehouses that meet your needs.