About this course
About this course
This three-day virtual programme qualifies auditors to assess conformity against the BRCGS Global Standard for Consumer Products Issue 4, the benchmark for non-food consumer goods including personal care, household products and general merchandise.
Who should attend
The course is aimed at experienced technical staff preparing to take on second-party or third-party audit work, consultants supporting consumer products suppliers through customer audits, and senior quality managers with substantial prior audit experience. Some exposure to auditing against an equivalent BRCGS or ISO Standard is recommended. Brand-owner technical staff auditing consumer products suppliers as part of supplier approval programmes benefit from the content, as do auditors from certification bodies adding the Standard to their existing BRCGS scope.
What the programme covers
Day one revisits the Standard at clause level, with attention to product risk categories, the differences between manufacturer and brand-owner obligations, and the evidence auditors most commonly find difficult to assess. Day two covers audit management, the BRCGS Scheme rules for auditors, audit planning, evidence sampling, interview technique, non-conformity writing and grading, and reporting. Day three runs practical audit exercises against simulated site scenarios with structured feedback. The programme gives particular attention to the regulatory interface that Consumer Products audits must handle, including cosmetics legislation, toy safety regulations and chemical notification requirements, and shows how to structure audit evidence sampling around this regulatory complexity.
Assessment and certification
The course combines daily written assessments with a final written examination and a practical audit exercise. A pass earns the official BRCGS Certificate of Achievement, the recognised qualification for Consumer Products auditors.
Course format and delivery
The programme runs over three consecutive days in a live virtual format with a BRCGS Approved senior trainer. Sessions combine methodology teaching with structured audit exercises, peer feedback and case study discussion from real audit findings across personal care, household and general merchandise categories. Delegates complete pre-course reading and receive detailed audit technique guidance for reference after the programme.
Why this matters
Consumer Products audit technique differs meaningfully from food manufacturing audit technique, particularly around product category risk assessment and the regulatory interface with cosmetics, toy safety and household product legislation. Formal training reduces subjectivity and gives auditors the confidence to stand behind findings. It also supports the credibility of the audit report with brand owners and retailers, many of whom specify Consumer Products certification as a precondition of supplier approval. The course is most valuable when taken after the Consumer Products Sites Training and the Internal Auditor qualification. For auditors progressing towards accredited certification body work, the Consumer Products Lead Auditor programme is the natural next step.
Explore the full BRCGS courses and training range or see the complete course catalogue for related programmes.
