Food Industry
IFS Audit Report Application

IFS Food (International Featured Standards) is a GFSI-recognized standard for food product manufacturers supplying retailers (particularly in Germany, France, Italy). It covers: management responsibility, QMS, resource management, manufacturing process planning and execution, measurements and analyses, food defense and food fraud.

IFS Food is primarily required by continental European retailers (Carrefour, Auchan, Lidl). BRC (British Retail Consortium, now BRCGS) is required by Anglo-Saxon retailers (Tesco, Sainsbury's, Walmart). Both are GFSI-recognized and cover similar requirements, but the structure and scoring system differ. An IFS audit uses a 4-level scoring system (A/B/C/D + N/A).

KO criteria result in automatic audit failure. They include: insufficient management commitment, non-functional HACCP system, inadequate CCP (critical control point) management, non-compliant personnel hygiene conditions, non-conforming product specifications, deficient traceability, and internal audits not conducted. A single KO rated D = certification refused.

Conduct an internal pre-audit based on the IFS checklist, verify HACCP documentation (hazard analysis, CCPs, critical limits, monitoring), ensure complete traceability (traceability test in under 4 hours), verify cleaning and disinfection records, check supplier analysis certificates, and train staff in GHP (Good Hygiene Practices).

The IFS Food certificate is valid for 12 months. The renewal audit must be scheduled before expiration. The complete audit report is available on the IFS portal within 2 weeks of the audit. The final score determines the level: basic (75% or above), higher (95% or above). Below 75%, certification is not granted.