Notification to certification body of any infringement, penalties, withdrawals or recalls now 24 hours?
Is this correct??
Can we receive a non conformance against this if we have not changed it in our quality system?
Yes, this is correct for BRC as it is for SQF.
There is also a requirement for BRC contact as well.
I do not know what the CB/BRC does in the event of non-contact, but for SQF the action can include suspension or cancelation of certification and I have seen several suspensions over the years, not a pretty thing when the only thing the companies involved had to do was make 2 contacts and keep the two informed during the process of the event.
Just to clarify, BRC requires that recalls or regulatory food safety non-conformities (e.g. enforcement notice) are notified to the certification body within three days, but as per the interpretation guide there is no requirement to notify the CB of a product withdrawal.
The relevant clause (3.11.4 for the Food standard) isn't marked as "fundamental", so theoretically it is not an instant certification withdrawal at audit. I'd expect it to be a major, although I don't know anyone who has been caught out on this!