standardsmap.

org

International Featured Standards - IFS Food

Head Office:
Am Weidendamm 1 A
D-10117
Berlin
Germany
+49 (0)30 72 62 50 74
ifs-berlin@ifs-certification.com
www.ifs-certification.com

FACTS & FIGURES

Local Offices in:

France, United States
of America, Italy,
China, Poland, Brazil

focus on sustainability issues

11,000 manufacturers use IFS Food

350 retailers and wholesalers support IFS
In 96 countries IFS audits are conducted
In 20 languages the IFS Food is available

Disclaimer: the graph was generated using the proportion of the

sustainability initiatives requirements matching the criteria used in
Standards Map Database in consultation with standard organizations.

WHAT IS International Featured

Standards - IFS FOOD?

WHO CAN JOIN?

The IFS Food Standard is one of the Standards belonging to

the umbrella brand IFS (International Featured Standards). It is
a Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) recognised standard for
auditing food safety and quality of processes and products of
food manufacturers. It concerns food processing companies
or companies that pack loose food products. IFS Food
applies when products are processed or when there is a
hazard for product contamination during primary packing. The
standard contains many requirements related to specifications
compliance and it supports production and marketing efforts for
brand safety and quality. The IFS Food standard version 6 has
been developed with full and active involvement of certification
bodies, retailers, industry and food service companies from all
over the world.

Food processing companies or companies that pack loose

food products can apply for IFS Food certification.

WHAT PRODUCTS are COVERed?

IFS Food is a standard for auditing food safety and quality of
processes and products of manufacturers. It concerns food
processing companies or companies that pack loose food
products.

For detailed information about this and other standards check out: Standardsmap.org

WHAT ARE the KEY FEATURES?

IFS Food is a Standard for auditing food product suppliers/
manufacturers and only concerns food processing companies
or companies that pack loose food products. IFS Food shall be
used when a product is processed or when there is a hazard
for product contamination during the primary packing.
IFS Food includes requirements about the following
six topics: Senior management responsibility, Quality and
food safety management systems, Resource management,
Production process, Measurements, analysis, improvements
and Food defence.
IFS approach is risk-based. The requirements give every
company the chance to develop their own solution which fits the
processes and needs of the company. During the audit the IFS
auditors check if the developed solution works in practice with
the main goal to guarantee that food safety will be reached.
IFS Food Standard Version 6 has been re-benchmarked by
GFSI and has achieved recognition against the GFSI Guidance
Document Sixth Edition.
IFS Food version 6 gives more weight to quality criteria in
addition to food safety criteria. It also covers the packaging
issue and the risk of contamination of food by packaging.

AUDIT INFORMATION
1
 st, 2nd, 3rd party certification:
Third-party audit is required.
F
 requency of audits:
Annual audits.
Review process:
Draw up an audit schedule; Opening meeting; Evaluation
of existing quality and food safety systems achieved by
checking documentation (HACCP, quality management
documentation); On-site inspection and interviewing of
the personnel; Final conclusions drawn from the audit;
Closing meeting; Audit report; Certification decision.
V
 alidity of audit certificate:
One year.

WHAT KIND OF CRITERIA are USEd FOR

the ASSESSMENT?
P
 ass and Fail:
There are two kinds of non-conformities which are Major
and KO (Knock out). If the company gets a KO or more
than one Major, the certificate cannot be awarded.
Scoring:
An auditor can score a requirement as a deviation. There
are 4 scoring possibilities and points are awarded for each
requirement: A: Full compliance (20 points). B: Almost full
compliance, but a small deviation was found (15 points). C:
Only a small part of the requirement has been implemented
(5 points). D: The requirement has not been implemented
(-20 points). Scorings with B, C or D are marked as
deviation and should be explained in the audit report. A KO
or a Major non-conformity will subtract points from the total
amount. A company needs to achieve a total score of 75%
to be certified at IFS Food foundation level and 95% with
higher level (only if no Major has been identified).

W
 hat happens if non-conformity is found?
If a major non-conformity is identified during the initial audit,
the certificate will not be approved unless the corrective
action is taken and validated by a follow-up audit within six
months.
In case of deviations, when the auditor scores a
requirement with C or D, corrective actions shall be
implemented before the renewal audit.
The company shall always submit a written corrective action
plan before receiving the final report and the certificate.
Does the initiative offer incentives for continuous
improvement?
If C and/or D scorings remain the same from one audit
to the next, or if scorings are getting worse, the auditor
shall assess in accordance with the IFS chapter related
to Corrective actions (chapter 5.11 of the audit check-list,
Part 2). This link between two consecutive audits ensures a
continuous improvement process.

ARE THE PRODUCTS TRACEABLE ALONG

THE SUPPLY CHAIN?

IFS Food Standard has one sub-chapter which checks the

implementation of a traceability system at the level of the audited
company. KO 4.18: A traceability system shall be in place which
enables the identification of product lots and their relation to
batches of raw materials, packaging in direct contact with
food, packaging intended or expected to be in direct contact
with food. The traceability system shall incorporate all relevant
receiving processing and distribution records. Traceability shall
be ensured and documented until delivery to the customer.

DOES the initiative HARMONISE WITH

OTHER STANDARDS?

IFS Food Standard Version 6 has been re-benchmarked by

GFSI and has achieved recognition against the GFSI Guidance
Document Sixth Edition.

USE OF LOGO ON THE FINAL PRODUCT?

No

WHAT KIND OF SUPPORT is provided?

The IFS Academy was launched in 2008 in order to optimize

the support for all IFS users. It has developed into a strong
tool of the unique support system of the International Featured
Standards. Every month the IFS Academy offers a variety of
training events and seminars for different target groups e.g. for
quality managers from the food industry, auditors, certification
bodies and consultants. The overall aim of the IFS Academy is to
provide all IFS users with valuable, first-hand information about
the IFS standards in order to facilitate their implementation.
Small seminar groups allow intensive group and case study
work so that the participants directly benefit.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

M
 embership fee:
Not applicable.

C
 ertification costs:
The costs for the audit have to be negotiated with the
certification body of the participants choice.

geographic scope
Africa: Burkina Faso, Egypt, Madagascar, Morocco, South
Africa, Tunisia Asia: China, Hong Kong China, India, Israel,
Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Thailand, Turkey, Viet Nam
Europe: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic,

Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece,

Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia and
Montenegro, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine,
United Kingdom, North America: Canada, United States of
America, South America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia,
Ecuador, Paraguay, Suriname

IFS is represented in over 96 countries worldwide.

Source: http://www.ifs-certification.com/images/downloads/en/ifs_news_food6_english.pdf

STEPS TO JOIN THE INITIATIVE:

1. Preparation of an audit.
Before being audited, the company shall review all
requirements of the IFS Food Standard in detail. The company
is responsible for acquiring the current version of the Standard.
In order to prepare for an initial audit, a company may carry out
a pre-audit, which is only intended to be used in-house.

2. Certification body selection - contractual

arrangements.
The company shall appoint an IFS accredited certification body
and enters into a contract detailing the scope of the audit, the
duration and reporting requirements.

3. Drawing up an audit time schedule.

The certification body shall provide the audit time schedule. The
audit time schedule includes appropriate details concerning
the scope covered and the complexity of the audit.

4. Audit and Evaluation.

During the initial audit the entire company is audited, both in
relation to its documentation and the processes themselves.
All criteria of the IFS requirements shall be assessed by the

auditor. The company will assist and co-operate with the

auditor during the audit.

5. Audit report.
After the audit, auditor shall draw up a pre-report of the audit
and the outline of the action plan. The company shall enter
proposed corrective actions for all deviations (B, C, D) and KO
requirements scored with a B and non-conformities listed by
the auditor. The auditor will then validate the relevance of the
corrective actions and prepare the final audit report.

6. Awarding the certificate.

The certification body is responsible for making the certification
decision. The issue of the certificate is dependent on the audit
results and on agreement on an appropriate action plan.

OVERVIEW OF REQUIREMENTS*:

environmental requirements

EXPLANATION:

C
 ritical:
The Standard Map presents the IFS Food requirements
that relate to food-safety or legal requirements as Critical
Requirements based on the following policy applied: Only
non-conformities - Knock Out (KO) and Major - which are
related to food-safety or legal requirements have to be
solved immediately.
S
 hort term:
The Standard Map presents the IFS Food requirements
(excluding those related to food-safety or legal
requirements) as Short-term based on the following policy
applied: IFS gives you 12-months time to improve all
deviations that are determined in the IFS audit. This gives
your company the time to develop a tailor-made solution
which fits your process.

social requirements

QUALITY & SAFETY Management system

requirements

* based on criteria used in Standards Map. Access Standards

Maps Analysis Module to review specific details on upto 250
sustainability requirement for each of the standards.

FURTHER INFORMATION
Standards Map is a web-based interactive tool that centralises, organises and disseminates information on over 100 voluntary
sustainability standards. Standards Map is part of the International Trade Centres web-based Market Analysis Tools.
More detailed information on the specific requirements of the sustainability initiative can be reviewed: standardsmap.org.