What is IFS?
The International Featured Standard (IFS) was developed by the German and French Retail Associations in 2002 with a focus on food safety, later expanding into quality, compliance with customer related specification(s) as well as the legal compliance of the products.
The IFS risk-based, non-prescriptive approach allows companies to determine hazard control methods that are best suited to their unique risks and needs.
The IFS standard is very logical to follow in the sense that it walks you through exactly what you need to do, and how. The IFS simplified approach to standardization is fairly popular in Europe and has slowly gained traction in the United States. European retailers, especially in Germany, require IFS certification in order to carry a product in store. This makes IFS Certification the go-to program for North American food and beverage manufacturers aiming to export products to Europe. Lidl is one example of a European retail chain that requires IFS to carry a food product in any of their 12,000 stores found across 31 countries.
What’s the difference between the most common IFS standards?
IFS Food Standard
The latest version of the IFS Food Standard (Version 8) was released in April 2023, and can only be used for companies processing or packing loose food products. Facilities where there is a risk of product contamination from primary packaging can also utilize this standard. The audit scope usually includes all production lines and products manufactured by the production site but exclusions may be determined. Due to the site-specific nature of the International Featured Standard, fully outsourced products and traded products are not covered. This is where IFS Broker comes into play.
IFS Broker
If a company sells a food product or personal care product but does not have its own warehouse, packing station, truck fleet, etc., the IFS Broker Standard would be the best fit. Essentially, this applies to companies that don’t take physical possession of the product but they have an office or a legal entity that plays a role in bringing the product to market. For food processing companies also engaging in trading activities, there is an option to have an IFS Food/IFS Broker audit.
IFS Logistics
IFS Logistics is for logistics services for food or non-food products, such as storage and all types of transport, no matter if it’s by plane, train, or automobile! This standard is slightly more simplified compared to the Food Standard. This standard applies if you are transporting, re-packaging, storing, or distributing primary packed products, or very specific unpacked goods, like meat carcasses or bulk transport of glucose syrup, milk, grain, etc.
IFS HPC
This is a standard for manufacturers or co-packers of personal care and household products and processes compliance in relation to product safety and quality. It is to be applied when a product is processed or if there is a potential contamination risk present during the primary packing process.
What is the timeline for securing an IFS Certificate?
On average, the timeline for achieving IFS certification can range from a few months to over a year.
Here is a general breakdown of the certification process:
- Preparation Phase:
This phase involves initial assessments, gap analysis, staff training, and making necessary changes to meet the IFS Certification requirements. Depending on the current state of the organization's systems and processes, preparation could take a few months.
[Read more on the preparation necessary.]
- Following the Audit Trail:
To audit PPA, one must follow the ‘audit trail.’ The Audit trail includes product sampling, an overall on-site evaluation, and documentation/record review. It may take a few days to complete the audit trail. As noted in the below graphic, half of the total audit time is spent on the on-site evaluation, and around 30% is spent cross-checking documentation and staff records.
- Post-Audit Actions:
After the audit, if non-conformities are identified, the organization needs to address these issues promptly. Corrective actions, implementation of necessary changes, and providing evidence of compliance are essential steps in this phase. Once all non-conformities are rectified and the organization demonstrates compliance with the IFS standard, the certification body issues the IFS certification.
Scheduling an IFS Audit
What’s tricky about the IFS Certification process in the United States is getting scheduled with an auditor, since the number of qualified auditors is in the single digits. Because IFS training is based on European regulations and requirements that Americans aren’t familiar with, roughly 25% of auditors pass.
That said, as a Kiwa company, ASI is one of the few certification bodies with a qualified IFS auditor available in the U.S.
Check out more information and get a quote for IFS Certification here to get your IFS audit scheduled for today!