New version IFS FOOD Standard to be released soon

The IFS Food Standard is a Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) recognized standard for food manufacturers. Every now and then the standard is revised by the organization International Featured Standards (IFS). Currently the draft for IFS Food version 8 is under public consultation. So one can expect the new version to be released within a few weeks to months. Are you already prepared to meet the renewed requirements?

IFS Food has been developed with full and active involvement of certification bodies, retailers, food industry and food service companies. These parties are also consulted with every revision. The standard applies to companies that produce and process food and is especially of interest for food manufacturers who produce under private labels, because it contains many requirements related to the compliance with customer specifications. The IFS Food is also of use for production and marketing departments in their efforts for brand safety and quality.

What is new in IFS FOOD 8.0?

One may wonder why revisions need to be made. This has to do with new regulations from the Codex Alimentarius (United Nations) and the changing regulations of ISO 22003 -2 that must be complied with. The main changes of the new IFS Food 8.0 are listed below:

• reassigned criteria to follow the audit trail even more closely,
• revised the scorings system, especially the B scoring,
• clarified the unannounced rule, especially in case of a failed audit,
• provided a solution for the reporting of the compulsory fields,
• improved the consistency and preciseness in the wording and clarifications of the checklist,
• proposed an adaption of the certification process regarding providing an action plan and preliminary scoring instead of the preliminary report.

What does that mean to you?

These changing rules mean that your next audit may look a little different. Once the public consultation period has ended, the results are processed and the final document is published. The exact timeline of this is not yet known, but normally a transition period is common. When that period has ended it means that you as a food manufacturer are obliged to comply with the new rules. So make sure you stay informed about the developments so that you are well prepared to start the audit.  to not end up without a certificate.

We will update this page when new information is available. You can also contact one of our food experts via food@kiwa.com or your local contact person when you have any other question regarding the new IFS FOOD version.

More information can also be found on: IFS Database - IFS Food version 8 - Public Consultation (ifs-certification.com)

Benefits of IFS FOOD

Have you not yet started a certification trajectory for IFS FOOD? Kiwa can help you as an independent and reliable partner. The standard has many benefits for food manufacturers, because it reduces operating costs and increases efficiency, it shows your chances for improvement and performance and shows how you can reduce risks.  Would you like to know exactly what benefits IFS FOOD has for your company? Contact us and we will look together at what works best for you. Sent an email to food@kiwa.com and we will put you in touch with one of our experts. In the meantime you can also take a look here for some more background information.