IFS Food Version 8

Clause-scored retail food safety and quality standard used across continental Europe.

Food Safety

Current versionVersion 8
Benchmark statusGFSI
Certification levelsFoundation / Higher

Overview

IFS Food is a food safety and quality standard developed by retail associations in Germany, France and Italy and benchmarked against GFSI requirements. Version 8 was published in April 2023 and applies to audits from January 2024. The standard assesses senior management commitment, the quality and food safety management system, resource management, operational processes, measurement and improvement, and food defence.

Audits are scored rather than graded: each requirement receives a score, and defined knock-out criteria can result in failure regardless of the total. Certificates are issued at foundation or higher level depending on the overall result. For frozen berry and vegetable processors supplying European retail and brand owners, IFS Food certification is frequently listed as an expectation in tender and onboarding documents, alongside BRCGS.

Scored clause by clause
Each requirement is rated and the result is expressed as a percentage. That produces a finer-grained picture than a single letter, and makes year-on-year movement visible.
Knock-out requirements
A small set of requirements is designated as knock-out. Failing one carries a heavy scoring penalty and, in recent versions, prevents certification outright.
Strong in DACH and French retail
IFS originated with German and French retail associations and remains the default request from those buyers.

Structure of the Standard

How the requirements are organised.

Ref	Requirement
1	Governance and commitmentPolicy, objectives, management review, resources and food safety culture.
2	Food safety and quality management systemHACCP, documentation and record control.
3	Resource managementPersonnel, hygiene, training, facilities.
4	Operational processesSpecification, product development, purchasing, packaging, site environment, foreign material control, traceability, allergens.
5	Measurements, analyses, improvementsInternal audit, process validation, complaint handling, incident and withdrawal management, corrective action.
6	Food defenceAssessment of intentional contamination risk and site security.

Where it Applies

Processors supplying continental retail
Where the customer base is German, Austrian, Swiss, French or Italian retail, IFS is usually the certificate asked for first.
Private label manufacture
The standard was designed around own-brand supply and carries product and process requirements aimed at it.
Sites already holding BRCGS
Overlap is high, so adding IFS is mostly a gap exercise rather than a new system.
Continental retail specification
Buyers in German and French retail chains who inherited IFS Food as a house requirement. Where the requirement is habit rather than contract, accepting an equivalent GFSI-recognised certificate opens the supply base at no food safety cost.

How it Compares

Positioning against neighbouring schemes.

Versus BRCGS
Similar scope and both recognised. The difference is the assessment mechanics and the buyer base rather than the substance of the requirements.
Versus FSSC 22000
IFS is prescriptive about the site; FSSC is stronger on management system architecture. Choose by who is buying.

Products Covered

View all products

Markets that Expect It

View all markets

FAQ

What is a KO requirement?

A knock-out requirement. Failure carries a scoring penalty severe enough to block certification, so these clauses are checked first in any gap analysis.

Is IFS accepted instead of BRCGS?

By most buyers, yes, because both are GFSI-recognised. Some retailer specifications still name one scheme; read the specification rather than assuming.

Does IFS cover logistics?

IFS Food covers manufacture. Storage and transport are addressed by IFS Logistics, a separate standard with its own certificate.

Sources & References

IFS Food Standard for auditing quality and food safety of food productsIFS Management GmbH · accessed August 22, 2026The continental retail counterpart to BRCGS. Scoring is percentage based with Foundation and Higher levels rather than letter grades, and knock-out criteria work differently from BRCGS fundamentals, which is why the two reports are not read the same way even though both clear the same benchmark.
GFSI Benchmarking RequirementsGlobal Food Safety Initiative, The Consumer Goods Forum · accessed August 22, 2026The document against which BRCGS, IFS Food and FSSC 22000 are benchmarked, and the reason a buyer can accept any of them. It covers scheme content, auditor competence, certification body accreditation and scheme integrity. Recognition is granted by version, and a scheme can lose it, so a purchasing clause should reference recognition rather than a scheme name frozen in time.
Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffsEUR-Lex, European Union · accessed August 22, 2026HACCP-based procedures. Annex II Chapter IV covers transport conditions.

Evidence confidence: partial

Next step

Need these specifications confirmed for your order size?

Send the volume and destination and we reply with availability, packaging options and the documents required.

Submit Inquiry

Ask our team

Vorezan publishes reference information for buyers and suppliers. We are not a certification body, a customs broker or a guarantor of any third party. Regulatory references point to the framework in force at the review date; verify the current consolidated text and your own obligations before relying on them commercially.

Last updated: August 22, 2026Sources & references

IFS Food Version 8

Overview

Scored clause by clause

Knock-out requirements

Strong in DACH and French retail

Structure of the Standard

Where it Applies

Processors supplying continental retail

Private label manufacture

Sites already holding BRCGS

Continental retail specification

How it Compares

Versus BRCGS

Versus FSSC 22000

Products Covered

Markets that Expect It

FAQ

Sources & References

At a Glance

On this page

Certified Products

Need certified suppliers?

Popular Questions

Related Guides

Related Glossary Terms

Sources