In this article, we will look for the answer to the question What is IFS? With this article, we will share with you information such as what is IFS Food Safety Standard and where it is used. In our previous article, we searched for an answer to the question What is HACCP?
What is IFS?
The IFS Food standard is a standard recognized and accepted by GFSI, the Global Food Safety Initiative. This standard also ensures that food producers can be audited. There are many important points for IFS. The most important of these is to ensure quality and food safety in the production process of a product and to protect the legality of these processes.
The IFS Food Safety Standard is applied to identify potential food safety risks to the product during the production process or the initial packaging process and to take action before the danger occurs. The IFS Standard is of great importance for all food manufacturers. Especially in the case of special product production processes, it is important to meet these requirements for the customer.
Especially in recent years, food retailers have started to offer their products to their customers at dealers or in different sales areas. However, their responsibilities have also increased considerably. At this stage, to protect their own brand name and organizational value, the importance of the safety, quality, and legality of the products produced by the manufacturers has gained importance.
The IFS Food Safety Standard sets out the need for uniform quality and food safety in order to meet consumer demands and to ensure that private brands are produced and presented to consumers in the desired conditions.
Details of the IFS Food Standard
The IFS Food Standard is an emerging standard for auditing the quality and food safety of manufacturers’ products and processes. IFS Food Standards guarantee quality, safety and operational criteria. The framework of the standard establishes how food safety, integrity, legality and quality should be managed in industries that produce, process and package foodstuffs and provides global recognition.
Which Industries is IFS Applicable to?
The IFS Food Standard has been created for food product providers and other food industry organizations that produce branded products for retailers and vendors. The scope of the standard is only for organizations engaged in food production and packaging. Shipping, warehousing, distribution and trading-only organizations are not included in the scope of this standard.
Key Elements of the IFS Standard
The standard mainly focuses on the following topics below:
- Responsibility of Senior Management (Management & Commitment)
- Quality and Food Safety System – HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) based food safety programs
- Resource Management
- Planning and Production Process
- Measurement, Analysis and Improvement
- Food defense plan and external observations
IFS Food Safety Standard Benefits
- Adapting the standard to applicable laws
- Reducing the requirements for customer audits
- Gaining trust at the customer and supplier level with independent 3rd party audits
- Reducing the total examination time with more examinations
- Ensuring high flexibility and ease of implementation with a risk-based approach
- Enhance business reputation as a manufacturer of high quality and safe products
- Ease of trade with customers requesting 3rd party audits
- Use of the IFS logo and certification in accordance with the rules set by the standard to demonstrate compliance with the highest standards
