Food safety certification looks like five competing acronyms. It is closer to a stack: a hazard analysis method at the bottom, a management system above it, and a benchmarked audit scheme on top that a retailer will accept. Understanding which layer you are looking at removes most of the confusion around food safety certification.
The stack, bottom to top
HACCP is the method. Codex Alimentarius sets out the principles: identify hazards, determine critical control points, set critical limits, monitor, correct, verify, document. HACCP is not a certificate you buy; it is an analysis you perform, and every scheme above it assumes you have done it properly. See HACCP Codex principles.
ISO 22000 is the management system. It wraps HACCP in the standard ISO management structure – policy, leadership, planning, competence, internal audit, management review – and adds prerequisite programmes. It is certifiable, internationally recognised, and on its own it is usually not what a European retailer asks for.
GFSI-benchmarked schemes sit on top. The Global Food Safety Initiative does not certify anyone; it benchmarks schemes against a common requirements document. A scheme that passes the benchmark is accepted by retailers who have committed to GFSI recognition. BRCGS, IFS Food and FSSC 22000 are the three you will meet most often in European food supply.
The practical question is never “which standard is best”. It is “which certificate will my customer accept, and does its scope cover what I am selling them”.
What separates the three main schemes
| BRCGS Food Safety | IFS Food | FSSC 22000 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Origin | British retail consortium | German and French retail associations | Foundation built on ISO 22000 |
| Structure | Prescriptive clauses, graded outcome | Prescriptive clauses, scored percentage | ISO 22000 plus sector prerequisite programmes plus additional requirements |
| Strongest recognition | UK and Ireland retail | Germany, France, Southern Europe | Manufacturers with an ISO estate |
| Audit outcome | Grade | Score and level | Certified or not |
| Best fit | Suppliers to UK retail | Suppliers to continental retail | Sites already running ISO systems |
None of these is a technical ranking. The recognition column is the one that decides your certification budget.
Reading a certificate properly
- Check the scheme directory, not the PDF. Every major scheme publishes a searchable directory. A PDF proves nothing.
- Read the scope statement. It names the site, the activities and the product categories. A certificate for a different site or category does nothing for you.
- Check the certificate is current and note the audit date, not just the expiry.
- Ask about the audit type. Announced and unannounced audits are different levels of assurance.
- Ask about open non-conformities relevant to your product. A certified site can still have open actions.
What certification does not cover
- Quality and grade. A certified plant can legally ship fruit that is wrong for your application.
- Organic status. That is Regulation (EU) 2018/848 and a separate control body – see organic certification.
- Ethical and social compliance. That is SMETA, GRASP or an equivalent.
- Your own due diligence. Certification is evidence, not a transfer of responsibility.
Common mistakes
- Treating a certificate as a substitute for a specification.
- Accepting a scope that covers “fruit processing” when you buy a frozen ready-to-eat product with a different hazard profile.
- Requiring three schemes at once. It multiplies your supplier’s audit cost and adds no assurance.
- Ignoring the audit date because the expiry date is far away.
FAQ
Do I need HACCP if I am certified to BRCGS?
Yes. Every GFSI-benchmarked scheme requires a functioning HACCP study as its foundation. The certificate is evidence that the study exists and works.
Is ISO 22000 enough for a European retailer?
Often not on its own, because ISO 22000 is not GFSI-benchmarked by itself. FSSC 22000 adds the sector prerequisite programmes and the additional requirements that achieve the benchmark. See FSSC 22000 vs ISO 22000.
Which scheme should a Ukrainian processor choose?
Whichever the target customers require. Suppliers into UK retail lean BRCGS; suppliers into German and French retail lean IFS Food; sites with an existing ISO estate often find FSSC 22000 cheapest to reach.
Can one site hold more than one certificate?
Yes, and many do, because different customers require different schemes. It costs more in audit days and document maintenance, so it is a commercial decision rather than a technical one.