Broker

IFS Broker is the standard for auditing the service compliance of brokers, sales representatives, traders and importers of food, household and personal care products or packaging materials. An IFS Broker audit assesses whether the intermediary has implemented suitable processes. These processes must ensure that the products of its suppliers comply with the legal regulations and the product specifications of its customers.

Brand owners and retailers worldwide consider IFS Broker certified companies as some of the most respected companies in the industry. Qualified IFS Auditors working for independent accredited certification bodies carry out the audits. Read more about accreditation and recognition of the IFS Broker Standard here

Benefits

  • IFS Certification grows sales

  • It increases efficiency

  • The scoring system drives continuous improvement

  • The IFS risk-based approach enables individual risk assessments

  • The non-prescriptive approach allows custom-made solutions

  • Combining Broker with other IFS Audits is possible

Download the fact sheet for more details

IFS Broker Document Hub

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Roadmap to certification

Train

For industry training, IFS cooperates with approved training providers. Also, we offer e-learning courses in English in our webshop.

Approved IFS Training Providers offer official training for IFS Standards and Programs, internal auditing, hazard analysis, risk assessments or specific technical topics.

IFS exclusively provides the training material for these courses. This way, you can be sure that only these providers will teach you how to implement IFS requirements according to their original intention. Only our approved training providers may use the IFS Academy Logo.

The training takes place online as group and individual courses or in person and on-site.

Click here to find an IFS Training Provider in your country.

Implement

You can implement the IFS Requirements on your own or tap into the expertise, knowledge, and experience of a recognised IFS Consultant.

IFS supports you with a unique package of various tools and guiding documents (see below). Also, you can contact an IFS Representative in your region or country for advice.

Recognised IFS Consultants are industry professionals offering training, standard knowledge, internal auditing, and industry experience to guide the implementation of the IFS Requirements. IFS has trained these consultants and regularly informs them about updates and other relevant developments regarding the standards and programs. You can be sure that you will work with an excellently trained, up to date and experienced professional when choosing a recognised IFS Consultant.

Search for the most suitable consultant for your company in your region in our consultant search.

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Audit

Approved IFS Certification Bodies (CBs) provide auditing services to companies seeking IFS Certification. Their IFS Auditors offer certification audits.

We firmly believe that solid auditor competence is the basis for the IFS Standards' credibility and reliability. All IFS Auditors must meet specific requirements, pass the relevant IFS Exam, and participate in an IFS Calibration Training every two years. This way, we ensure that IFS Auditors worldwide assess companies in a consistent manner.

  • Use the search function to find a certification body in your country.

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Support for IFS certified sites

Database

Connect with the IFS Network to grow your business. As a certified business, you can log in to the IFS Database to follow suppliers and search for new ones. Also, your company is visible to potential new customers and business partners.

Software

Simplify your internal auditing with the IFS Software. Use the same software as the IFS Auditor to evaluate your product safety and quality management system efficiently. Get score results to assess areas for improvement and create internal audit reports. You can download the software from your IFS Database login area.

Supporting Documents

IFS Guidelines and Checklists help you with practical advice on specific technical topics. Prepare for the audit/assessment with guidance documents explaining the intention of the requirements and giving examples of auditor questions. Go to the document hub and search for guidelines to get an overview. 

Risk Management

Monitor food raw material safety risks with the IFS Trend Risk Monitor and Word Cloud. Identify food fraud issues and customise your dashboard to follow trends of interest. Receive the IFS Trend Risk Report, a monthly overview of worldwide data published. Learn more about the IFS Risk Management here.

Pathway

Strengthen your product safety and quality management skills. For certified businesses, the IFS Pathway offers a technical library and various practical resources to deepen your knowledge about specific technical topics.

IFS News

Discover what’s new in IFS Broker version 3.2

 

We have updated the IFS Broker Standard and are thrilled to introduce version 3.2 today. Audits to this new version will become mandatory from 1 July 2024.

More transparency through the IFS Star Status and updated Scoring System

In IFS Broker 3.2, we introduce the star status, signaling that an audit was unannounced. Also, you will find updates in the scoring system. In particular, the B-score is now a deviation again, requiring a correction or corrective action. 

These updates contribute to greater transparency as customers and other stakeholders of the audited company can easily recognise how the audit was carried out. Furthermore, the report shows which deviation led to the B-score and the action plan specifies what needs to be done to correct the deviation. This creates greater clarity for everyone involved.

The update facilitates combined audits 

As many IFS audits are combined audits with other IFS Standards, it was essential for us to align version 3.2 with the other updated IFS Standards, especially IFS Food 8 and IFS Logistics 3. The revisions significantly facilitate the performance of combined IFS Audits. 

Leading retail, wholesale and food service companies trust IFS Broker Certification

IFS Broker is the standard for auditing the service compliance of brokers, sales representatives, traders and importers of food, household and personal care products or packaging materials. It belongs to the leading standards for certifying quality and product safety in this sector. 

Many retail, wholesale, and food service companies trust IFS Broker Certificates as they show that the certified company has established robust procedures and processes to trade products professionally and responsibly. Over 2,500 companies worldwide hold IFS Broker Certificates. 

IFS-certified companies benefit from a unique support package

IFS offers guidance, like guidelines and various tools, to support suppliers in reaching IFS Broker Certification and further enhancing product safety and quality management processes. 

The IFS Software, auditXpress Neo, supports reporting the internal audit results. An update to IFS Broker 3.2 will become available before the audits to the new version start. 

Approved IFS Training Providers offer training based on official IFS Materials and recognised IFS Consultants support businesses in implementing the requirements and training their staff.

International recognition   

The IFS Broker accreditation process is in progress with the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) to be recognised under the sub-scopes of the IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA) product certification. IAF MLA signatories mutually recognise accredited certification. It helps to reduce barriers to trade as accredited certificates are recognised in many markets based on a single accreditation. Also, the benchmarking process with GFSI has started.  

More information  

IFS Broker version 3.2 is currently available in English only. Translations into our main languages will follow shortly. The doctrine for IFS Broker version 3.2 will also be published later. We will notify you of their publication in our newsletters, on our website or on LinkedIn. 

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IFS Broker Blog

IFS offers me an environment in which I can develop my skills while contributing to bringing safe products to the market that benefit consumer health. Mariana Estrada, Logistics & Broker Standard Manager Mariana Estrada has been a highly valued m...