IFS (International Featured Standards) Certification for Food Safety and Quality

IFS (International Featured Standards) Certification

International Featured Standards are uniform food, product and service standards operated by the IFS, an association of retailers and industrial companies. The purpose of the harmonized IFS standards is to inspect producers, logistics companies, brokers and agents to ensure they are able to manufacture and handle safe products. 

The IFS Standards are currently compromised of eight standards developed for stakeholders involved in all stages of the food supply chain. By achieving IFS certification, you demonstrate that your company has established processes suitable for ensuring food and product safety, and implemented relevant customer specifications.  

Is IFS the Right Certification Scheme for You? 

Broadly, IFS certification is available for food manufacturers, brokers, logistics providers, manufacturers of household and hygiene products as well as wholesalers and retailers. QIMA/WQS currently offers certification under the following IFS standards: 

IFS Food: 

For food processing and food packing companies (including private labels), covering all activities related to processing, handling and primary packing of loose food products.

What is new with IFS Food version 7?

• Increased focus on the on-site evaluation, less on documentation
• New wording: the audit becomes an assessment, to highlight the product and process approach of IFS in keeping with ISO/IEC 17065
• Reduced number of requirements by 15 %
• Improved structure, tailored to the IFS stakeholders’ needs
  
• Improved and better defined scoring system
• The assessment report more clearly structured and user-friendly
• Food Safety Culture has been incorporated into the assessment checklist
• Every third certification assessment is unannounced
• Mandatory GLN for companies in the EEA and UK: click here for more information

IFS Progress Food: 

The IFS Progress Food is a standardized non-food safety assessment program for retailers as well as manufacturers of branded HPC products. The program is meant to support “small and/or less developed businesses” in the development of their product safety management systems and making the first step towards the implementation of the IFS HPC Standard.

The program includes different levels of assessment and a protocol to drive gradually, the continuous improvement process and the implementation of a full product safety management system. The final objective may be to reach the IFS HPC certification in a defined period of time.

The Program consists out of two different level checklists, Basic and Intermediate, which requirements should be fulfilled within a timeframe.

• Basic and Intermediate levels cover the following items:

o Product Quality and Safety Management Systems

• Specifications including Product Release, Traceability, Incident Management, Control of Non-Conforming Product, Corrective Actions, etc.
• Hazard analysis and risk assessment

o Good Manufacturing Practices

• Personal Hygiene, Facility Environment, Cleaning and Disinfection, Product Contamination Control, Pest Control, Water Quality, etc.
• IFS HPC Certification

Why Do You Need IFS Global Standards Certification? 

• Demonstrate compliance of your facilities with food safety requirements 
• Introduce a quality and food safety management system to cover all aspects of quality control and assurance 
• Verify that your business is capable of producing safe products
• Align multiple production sites according to a uniform quality and food safety management system 
• Create safer, more effective processes to optimize your business  

Why Choose QIMA/WQS for IFS (International Featured Standards) Certification? 

• A team with over 30 years of experience in the food industry supply chain, ready to deliver end-to-end solutions to your business.   
• Specialized in the food industry, with a structure designed to facilitate and expedite the complex certification process and support you every step of the way.  
• QIMA/WQS counts with local experienced food auditors approved for multiple schemes specializing in  all food safety quality  areas.  
• More than 9,000 satisfied clients at every stage of the food supply chain.