Supplier audits are an integral component of industry and trade. The constantly increasing requirement on the part of consumers, the increased risk of claims for damages, the growing number of legal requirements and the globalization of the flow of goods required the development of a uniform standard for quality assurance and food safety. The time required by the large number of different audits are intended to be reduced for everyone involved.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) Global Standard was originally developed and published in 1998 by the Association of British Retailers. The International Featured Standard (IFS) Food was developed in 2003 by the German Trade Association (HDE) and the French Federation Fédération des Entreprises du Commerce et de la Distribution (FCD) for the own brands of German and French retail companies.
Since then, the standards have been updated regularly to reflect food safety thinking. Both standards are recognized by the Global Food Safety
Initiative (GFSI).
The IFS has prevailed particularly in the German-speaking countries, France and other southern European countries. The BRC, on the other hand, has become more integrated into English-speaking Europe as well as in parts of Asia and the USA. It is even required for the placement of products in the British trade.
The standards formulate clearly defined requirements for food safety and the quality of processes and products. They include the obligation for senior management, risk assessments, and risk analyzes. They support food manufacturers in the production of safe food, as well as in the management of product quality to meet customer requirements. The certifications are used in assessing the ability of suppliers.
For companies who want to build a quality management system from scratch, the requirements represent a major challenge. We support you in introducing and developing a quality management and food safety system, as well as reviewing existing systems and developing suggestions for improvement.
We accompany you in the creation and implementation of a standard according to IFS or BRC to achieve your certification.
- Perform an assessment of current business
- Estabilshing an action plan
- Coaching in implementing certification requirements
- Support the certification process
- Meet customer requirements