In 1998, the British Retail Consortium developed and introduced the BRC technical standard and protocol for companies supplying retailer branded food products. This was the first of the standards designed to enable accredited certification of companies supplying products and services to the retail and allied industries.

The BRC Global Standard - Storage and Distribution established a standard in August, 2006 which can be used to complete the chain between food manufacturer and retailer or caterer.

The Standard was developed to assist retailers and other users in their fulfillment of legal obligations and protection of the consumer, by providing a common basis for the evaluation of companies storing and distributing the products. Since the introduction of the EU General Food Regulations (2002) and the EU General Product Safety Directive (2005), the obligations placed upon the retailers and other users to ensure product safety and the systems they have introduced have now become best practice across much of the supply chain.

For food storage and distribution companies the EU Regulations (178/2002, 852/2004) will have a direct effect as these businesses are now classed as food business and as such have legal obligations to supply safe and legal products.