The Process of Awarding an IFS Certificate

After months of preparation and a rigorous audit, food manufacturers await the moment when their efforts culminate in receiving an IFS certificate. But what happens between the final audit day and holding that certificate in hand? The process of awarding an IFS certificate involves multiple carefully orchestrated steps that ensure only facilities meeting stringent food safety and quality standards receive certification.

Understanding the role of certification bodies 🔗

The certification body plays a central role in awarding IFS certificates. These organizations must be accredited according to ISO/IEC 17065:2012 standards and maintain a valid contract with IFS Management GmbH. They serve as independent third-party assessors who evaluate whether a company meets all requirements of the IFS standard.

Once the on-site audit concludes, the certification body assumes responsibility for making the final certification decision. This decision cannot be made lightly or immediately. The auditor provides only a provisional assessment during the closing meeting, as the formal certification process requires thorough review of documentation, corrective action plans, and evidence of compliance.

The timeline from audit to certificate 🔗

The journey from completed audit to certificate issuance follows a strict timeline designed to balance thoroughness with efficiency. The standard timeline spans six to eight weeks, broken into distinct phases that ensure proper verification of compliance.

Pre-report preparation 🔗

Within two weeks of the audit date, the auditor prepares a preliminary report outlining all findings from the assessment. This pre-report documents any deviations or non-conformities discovered during the audit, along with observations about the company’s food safety management systems. The preliminary nature of this document allows the company to understand areas requiring attention before the final certification decision.

Corrective action plan submission 🔗

Companies then have four weeks to respond to identified deviations and non-conformities by developing a comprehensive corrective action plan. This plan must detail both immediate corrections and long-term corrective actions addressing root causes of problems. Missing this four-week deadline can result in the need for a complete re-audit, potentially delaying certification for months.

The corrective action plan requires more than simply stating intentions. Companies must provide evidence that corrections have been implemented, along with detailed descriptions of preventive measures to ensure issues do not recur. The plan should address each finding systematically, demonstrating a commitment to continuous improvement in food safety practices.

Review and approval 🔗

The final two weeks involve the auditor and certification body reviewing the submitted action plan. During this critical phase, they verify that all corrections have been properly implemented and that proposed corrective actions are adequate. If the certification body finds the corrective actions invalid, inadequate, or irrelevant, they return the action plan to the company for completion within the established timeframe.

This review process also includes preparing the final audit report and uploading documentation to the IFS Database. The certification body’s technical committee examines all evidence collected by auditors and the information from the entire process before making their final determination.

Certificate validity and the audit cycle 🔗

Once awarded, an IFS certificate remains valid for one year from the date of issue stated on the certificate. This annual certification cycle ensures that certified companies maintain their food safety and quality standards consistently rather than allowing systems to deteriorate between longer intervals.

The renewal audit date is calculated from the date of the initial audit, not from the certificate issue date. This distinction matters significantly for scheduling purposes. Companies receive reminders from the IFS Database three months before their certificate expiration, allowing adequate time to schedule and prepare for recertification.

The audit cycle operates on a three-year framework requiring annual audits to maintain certification. Every third audit must be unannounced, demonstrating that the company maintains high food safety standards even without advance preparation. This unannounced audit approach provides retailers and other stakeholders confidence that certified suppliers consistently meet requirements.

Critical requirements for certificate issuance 🔗

Not all audit results lead to certification. The IFS standard establishes specific criteria that companies must meet before receiving a certificate. Understanding these requirements helps organizations focus their improvement efforts where they matter most.

Major non-conformities 🔗

The standard’s regulation does not allow certificate issuance when more than one Major non-conformity exists. This strict rule reflects the critical importance of certain food safety requirements. Major non-conformities indicate significant failures in systems protecting food safety, and multiple such failures suggest systemic problems requiring resolution before certification.

When auditors identify Major non-conformities during an audit, companies must undergo a follow-up audit within six months. This follow-up focuses specifically on verifying that actions taken have effectively corrected the Major non-conformity. For production-related failures, the follow-up audit must occur at least six weeks after the previous audit but no later than six months afterward.

Knock-out requirements 🔗

The IFS standard identifies ten requirements as extremely critical, designated as Knock-Out requirements. These include governance and commitment, monitoring systems for critical control points, personal hygiene, raw material specifications, product compliance, foreign material risk mitigation, traceability, internal audits, withdrawal and recall procedures, and corrective actions. Failure in any Knock-Out requirement results in automatic denial of certification, regardless of performance in other areas.

The scoring system and certification levels 🔗

IFS employs a quantified assessment system that expresses compliance as a percentage. This scoring approach allows both certification bodies and the company’s customers to evaluate performance objectively. The standard recognizes two certification levels based on these scores.

Higher Level certification requires achieving a score above 95 percent, indicating exceptional compliance with minimal deviations. Foundation Level certification applies to scores between 75 and 95 percent, demonstrating that the company meets basic requirements while having room for improvement. Scores below 75 percent or failure in any Knock-Out requirement mean no certification is granted.

Database upload and certificate distribution 🔗

Once the certification body makes a positive certification decision, they upload the audit report, approved corrective action plan, and certificate to the IFS Database. This centralized database serves as the authoritative source for verifying certificate validity and authenticity. Retailers and other stakeholders can access this information to confirm their suppliers’ certification status.

The company receives its certification package via email, including the certificate, final audit report, and approved corrective action plan. This documentation provides evidence of compliance that companies can share with customers and use for internal quality improvement initiatives. The certification body stores this evidence for three years, ensuring accessibility for future reference or audits.

Maintaining certification over time 🔗

Receiving an IFS certificate represents an achievement, but maintaining it requires ongoing commitment. The annual recertification audit assesses whether the company continues meeting standards and has implemented improvements from previous audits. Particular attention focuses on the effectiveness of corrective actions from earlier assessments, even if that previous audit occurred more than one year ago.

Companies must inform their certification body if they have been IFS certified in the past, regardless of which certification body conducted previous audits. This requirement ensures continuity in the assessment process and allows auditors to verify that previous non-conformities have been adequately addressed through sustained corrective actions.

If companies fail to perform their renewal audit within the specified timeframe, the IFS Database automatically notifies all users who have added that production site to their favorites list. This transparency helps retailers and other stakeholders make informed decisions about their supply chain partners based on current certification status.

What do you think? How can food manufacturers best prepare for the certificate awarding process? What strategies help ensure corrective action plans effectively address audit findings?

References

1. https://www.ifs-certification.com/en/
2. https://en.eurocert.group/certifications/ifs-food
3. https://goaudits.com/blog/ifs-audits/
4. https://www.asifood.com/asi-food-safety-blog/international-featured-standards-certification-what-you-need-to-know-about-ifs
5. https://www.ifs-certification.com/images/ifs_documents/IFS_Food_v8_standard_EN_1711635033.pdf