BRC/IFS Certification

Two essential food standards for suppliers to retail

Business Challenge

Demand for food safety is growing. Consumers and authorities increasingly demand that the food we eat should offer high levels of quality and security. If a problem occurs, the source of error needs to be found quickly and the problem rectified. Demands are typically directed to the retail trade first, but responsibility now spreads through the entire food chain to include food producers, primary producers and transporters.

Solution

What are BRC and IFS? These food quality and safety standards are published by retail trade groups. Any company wishing to supply its food products to those retailers must meet the required standards. The retailers request that an independent third party approves the quality and food safety system of the supplier.

Why Choose Bureau Veritas?

Food Expertise Bureau Veritas Certification can help every player in the food supply chain to meet the highest standards of Quality, Health & Safety and Environmental compliance. Recognition Bureau Veritas Certification is accredited worldwide for these food safety schemes through the international accreditation body UKAS (BRC), as well as COFRAC and DAR (IFS). Network We operate in more than 100 countries. This global presence means that our clients can receive the double advantage of international expertise combined with a genuine depth of local knowledge (language, culture, laws, customs, etc.) ensuring a high quality audit. Mark of global recognition The Bureau Veritas Certification Mark is a globally recognized symbol of your organization’s ongoing commitment to excellence, sustainability and reliability.

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

• What do they cover?

  The BRC (British Retail Consortium) was published by the union of British supermarket chains, the BRC. It requires documented approval to ensure food quality and safety. Retailers include Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury's. The IFS is a quality and safety standard published by the union of German supermarket chains, HDE (Hauptverband des Deutschen Einzelhandels). It has been adopted by the French equivalent, the FCD (Fédération des entreprises du Commerce et de la Distribution). Retailers include Aldi, Lidl and Metro.

• What are the main differences between BRC and IFS?

  Both standards are aimed at retailers’ suppliers. Their goal is the same but the paths to achieve that same goal are different. The base of each audit is quite similar but the criteria and their levels differ. This is why combined audit time can be reduced however there is no potential time saving in reporting.