IFS Food: Food Safety Certification for Retail Suppliers
The reference standard for major European supermarket suppliers. IgeraIndustria makes KOs, scoring system, HACCP requirements and IFS Food v8 audit preparation instantly queryable.
6 KOs
IFS Food v8 Knock Out requirements. Non-compliance with any one automatically prevents certification.
>95%
Score required to achieve Higher Level, the maximum IFS Food rating.
Annual
IFS Food audit frequency. 12-month cycle with IFS Management GmbH-accredited auditors.
Frequently asked questions — IFS Food
What is IFS Food and which retailers require it?
IFS Food (International Featured Standards Food) is the food safety and quality standard developed by German (HDE) and French (FCD) retailers to audit their own-brand and fresh produce suppliers. The current version is IFS Food Version 8 (2023). It is mandatory or strongly recommended for suppliers of Carrefour, Lidl, Aldi, Rewe, Edeka, Leclerc, Intermarche and other major European retail chains. Unlike BRCGS (more oriented towards the Anglo-Saxon market), IFS has greater penetration in the German, French, Italian and Spanish markets.
What are IFS Food KOs (Knock Outs) and how many are there?
KOs (Knock Outs) are the IFS Food requirements whose non-compliance automatically implies non-certification, regardless of the overall score obtained in the remaining requirements. IFS Food v8 has 6 KOs: (1) management responsibility for food safety, (2) HACCP system implemented and updated, (3) personal hygiene in high-risk areas, (4) effective and documented product recall procedure, (5) allergen management, and (6) complete product traceability. A non-compliant KO equates to a major deviation preventing certification until corrected and verified.
How does the IFS Food scoring system work?
IFS Food uses a percentage scoring system. Each requirement is scored from A (full compliance, 20 points) to D (not implemented, 0 points), with a Not Applicable option. The total score determines the certification grade: Higher Level (>95%) or Foundation Level (75-95%). KOs are scored 0% or 100%: if there is a non-compliant KO, the maximum score is 50% regardless of everything else. Major non-conformances also penalise 15 points each. The audit report with detailed scores is visible to sector customers through the IFS Global Markets platform.
How often is the IFS Food audit conducted?
The IFS Food audit is conducted annually. Unlike BRCGS, IFS does not have an unannounced audit option as a standard offering, although a voluntary unannounced audit programme (IFS Unannounced) exists. The certification cycle is 12 months, with the possibility of a 2-month extension under certain conditions. Audit duration depends on company size and process complexity. IFS auditors must be specifically accredited by IFS Management GmbH and certification bodies must be IFS-approved.