IFS Blog

I believe that the IFS ESG Check supports companies on their way to better sustainability. It will also have a positive effect on food safety, as the two topics are linked. Helga Barrios, IFS Head of Sustainability  The IFS is happy that Helga Barrios has taken on the responsibility for the important and future-oriented topic of sustainability...

I really enjoy working in the modern work environment of IFS. The purpose driven team as well as the direct involvement of safety and quality stakeholders from the entire supply chain is amazing. Felix Schuhmann, IFS Academy Technical Manager IFS is happy to have Felix Schuhman as an employee. He started with an internship in June 2020 and became o...

At IFS, I have the unique chance to combine my deep passion for food and my IT knowledge to benefit the IFS Stakeholders! Luisa Knupper, IFS Senior IT Project Manager IFS is happy that Luisa Knupper has recently joined our team as Senior Project Manager. Luisa is the new IFS Face for IT. She is a German citizen based in Berlin. In this blog post, L...

More and more the impact of the war in Ukraine on food supply chains is noticeable. The production and distribution of food and raw materials are severely disturbed. This extraordinary situation influences the supplier and raw materials management as well as customer specifications and recipe management in terms of allergen, GMO and labelling. In r...

To me, IFS means setting high-quality standards and programs, and I look forward to contributing to them in the future. Ezgi Dedebas Ugur, IFS Representative Türkiye We are happy to share that we have a new IFS Face in Türkiye. In this blog post, Ezgi Dedebas Ugur introduces herself. Introducing the new IFS Face in Türkiye My name is Ezgi Dedebas U...

Working with and learning from the IFS Partners within our global network and the IFS Colleagues inspires me every day. Daniela Poblete, IFS LATAM Director The IFS Face behind IFS PACsecure and IFS LATAM My name is Daniela Poblete; I am a Chilean citizen based in Santiago. I am a Food Industry Engineer, Civil Industrial Engineer with a B.S. in Engi...

It's rewarding to see how businesses following the IFS Pathway progress. João Ricardo Stein, IFS Senior Technical Manager The Face behind IFS Global Markets and IFS Pathway My name is João Ricardo Stein; I am a Brazilian citizen based in São Paulo. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agronomic Engineering, I specialised in Quality...

By learning from each other in the IFS Team, we continuously improve our performance. Miroslav Šuška, Representative Czech Republic In this part of the IFS Faces series, Miroslav Šuška, the face behind the IFS Food Book and the IFS Face in the Czech Republic, introduces himself:  The IFS Face in Czech Republic My name is Miroslav Šuška. I am t...

IFS @ Anuga 2021   This year, IFS has chosen to be only virtually present at the Anuga fair. Still, you can also find a special IFS Pillar on the exhibition grounds. It is in the mid boulevard in front of hall 4. In this virtual booth and on this special website, you can find information about IFS that is of particular interest to the fair's v...

To me, IFS is more than its standards, programmes and tools; it represents my homeland. Caroline Nowak, Representative Brazil The IFS Face in Brazil  My name is Caroline Nowak, and I was born and raised in Berlin, Germany. I have been living in Brazil for 13 years now. I have known IFS since 2003 and have already worked here as a student in Be...

IFS is seen as a leading standard in which stakeholders worldwide have confidence. I, therefore, consider it a privilege to represent IFS in the Benelux. Hanneke Veltman, Representative Benelux New IFS Face in the Benelux Hanneke Veltman has recently joined the IFS Team. Hanneke is both a member of the IFS Integrity Program team and officially repr...

We are celebrating a lustrum this month! Five years ago, the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) accepted IFS for Ketenborging.nl. It marked the start of a constructive and productive public-private cooperation for safer and more trust in food products. In this blog, Hans van der A of the NVWA and IFS's Stephan Tromp look ...

IFS stands for resilient and reliable high-level certification and supportive digital services at the cutting edge of technology to create added value for our stakeholders. Stephan Tromp, IFS Managing Director The Face behind IFS My name is Stephan Tromp, and I am both managing director at IFS and deputy secretary-general of the German Retail Feder...

With the publication of IFS Food version 7, IFS introduced the term assessment instead of audit. We will gradually adopt it in the other IFS Standards as well. Here we explain what the term encompasses. An IFS Assessment includes more than auditing  The IFS Assessment includes more than just auditing. It encompasses both audit and inspection t...

Jean-Charles Gander, Head of Quality Management Migros Group explains why he trusts IFS in these uncertain times, and what the strength of IFS Food version 7 is. "The certainties we could have had a few months ago and the reliable forecasts on the evolution of markets and consumer expectations are now history. The world is changing extremely fast, ...

Interview with Chryssa Dimitriadis, Head of IFS Standard Management   ​IFS has just released version 7 of its food standard. In this interview for the IFS Blog, Chryssa Dimitriadis shares her views on the strengths of the IFS Food Standard version 7 and her personal experiences in developing it. Congratulations to the publication of the IFS Fo...

Innovative  technology enables food safety On Aug 13, 2020, IFS International  Featured Standards (hereinafter referred to as IFS) held the 6th IFS China Focus Day in Shanghai. More than 200 experts and professors, management representatives of food enterprises gathered at this conference. Focus on the theme of "Innovative techn...

All companies certified under IFS Standards are required to conduct effective internal audits. To some, the internal audit may seem time-consuming and redundant. When done correctly, however, they are a powerful tool to measure the effectiveness of the quality and safety systems as well as a mechanism for engaging workers. The internal audit covers...

IFS Global Markets Food is an assessment that supports small and/or developing companies in establishing a resilient Product Safety management system. By following the "global markets" path, small companies can also make the first steps towards the implementation of the requirements of the IFS Food Standard. Batus Polska Sp. zo. o. decided to ...

written by CHERYL SULLIVAN While food processors and retailers understand the necessity to practice food safety in their operations, few have demanded that their packaging suppliers exercise the same due diligence. Today, with more and more emphasis on product safety, transparency, and traceability throughout the entire supply chain, companies...

Food retailers and suppliers increasingly ask their suppliers for unannounced audits. The GFSI has included this option in their benchmarking requirements, so that every GFSI recognized standard has to offer this option. IFS introduced the unannounced audits in version 6.0 of the IFS Food Standard in 2016. We know now, that this option has some rea...

The requirements of IFS PACsecure are designed to examine the processes of all types of packaging manufacturing. Looking at the bigger picture of the audits performed, whether in plastic, paper, metal, or glass manufacturing, certain patterns become apparent. Some requirements are frequently rated with deviations.  For example, the requirement...

IFS hosted an informative program for attendees from the food and packaging industries. Pius Gasser, IFS North American Technical Representative kicked off the day with why IFS is a good choice for companies seeking certification. He presented a brief overview of IFS Global Market programs and the IFS Food, Logistics, Broker, and household and pers...

The first IFS Focus Day of the New Year took place on January 11th in Chicago, USA where food safety professionals joined us at the headquarters of US Foods. IFS Managing Director, Stephan Tromp, and the IFS representative for North America, Pius Gasser, informed participants about the latest news and developments of our IFS Logistics and PACs...

We marketed ourselves as IFS PACsecure-certified. We realized that consistently maintaining this standard was extremely important. by Tony Christian, Compliance and Quality Manager, Color Ad Packaging IFS PACsecure and GFSI were foreign to us in 2014 when we started looking into advanced Food Safety programs and Quality programs to help u...

by Ed Hughes, International Paper  This article submitted by Ed Hughes, Testing Labs and Product Safety and Compliance Manager, of International Paper. International Paper implements IFS PACsecure as their GFSI standard of choice.​Making the leap in the packaging industry from standard GMP audits to a GFSI recognized certification can be a res...

The integration of the IFS PACsecure Standard and practices has contributed to BOXmaster providing something unique in our market by Greg Reid, General Manager BOXmaster In the packaging industry, BOXmaster seeks to stay on top of what is an evolving landscape. As a company built on service and quality, our goal was to take these standards to the n...

"Blockchain is a revolutionary technology; it will change everything." by Leontien Hasselman-Plugge, CEO It seems nowadays that implementing a blockchain is the next best thing since sliced bread and will solve all issues in the food industry. The economist named blockchain the "trust machine" and blockchain pilots in the food industry pop up ...

Since 2003 the IFS is well known for the IFS Food Standard. Since then the umbrella brand of IFS has increased with more than 6 Standards and 3 Programs which cover a huge part of the retail supply chain. One of these IFS Standards is the IFS HPC, the Standard developed to assure the quality and product safety of household and personal care product...

The daunting challenge for many of our colleagues in the food supply chain is selecting the right GFSI Standard. A few quotes……. ​​​​"The bloody supermarket said I had to have BRC";"Our customer told us to be 3rd party certified to SQF"; "Our consultant recommended IFS PACSecure for it has templates for glass, metal, corrugate and plastic""Our...

If you work for a small or medium sized company producing household and personal care products and you're interested in establishing a reliable quality management system, then you should learn more about our IFS Global Markets - HPC Program. You may also be interested in attending our webinar on this subject. Many people know IFS as a food standard...

It is the year 2018 and the digital age is widespread in all areas of life. Meanwhile, quality managers still perform their internal audits with pen, clipboard and camera? Not with IFS. IFS wants to contribute to an easy daily procedure – and forward digitalization. That's why the app "IFS Audit Manager" was developed. The app IFS Audit Manager pus...

Associated Labels and Packaging is proud to announce our successful acquirement of the International Featured Standards (IFS) PACsecure Certification. In other words, our company has become "food safe" in the most vigorous global standard one can achieve. What does this mean? ​ In a nutshell, our facility produces labels and packaging which ensure ...

Most people with no educational background in food or quality management might not know the IFS and IFS Standards. Therefore we would like to use this chance to explain why the IFS was developed and why uniform standards are so important for all parties along the supply chain. IFS is the short form for: International Featured Standards owned by the...