About IFS

International Featured Standards is an international certification organisation, recognised for setting rigorous standards that ensure the quality and safety of products and services in the supply chain, and playing a key role for manufacturers and retailers. Founded in 2003, IFS was originally created through a collaboration between representatives of European retailers (French retail association FCD and German retail association HDE) with the aim of unifying food quality and safety requirements.

The organisation offers a series of standards, each dedicated to a specific segment of the supply chain.

Of these, IFS Food 8, IFS HPC 3 and IFS Logistics are some of the most important and are widely adopted by industries to fulfil stringent requirements for product safety, traceability and quality.

Recognising IFS standards

IFS (International Featured Standards) are recognised at European and international level by regulatory and certification bodies in the field of food safety and product quality:

• GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative) - GFSI is an international reference body that collaborates with European authorities and is recognised globally. GFSI has recognised IFS Food as equivalent to other international food safety standards. Through this partnership, IFS standards are accepted by major retailers and manufacturers in Europe and around the world.
• Accreditations from national accreditation bodies in Europe - National organisations such as DAkkS (in Germany) and UKAS (in the UK), provides accreditation for audits carried out to IFS standards. These accreditation bodies recognise the IFS standards and enable European companies to obtain certifications accepted on the EU market.

Through recognition by GFSI and alignment with European regulations and directives, IFS standards have gained widespread recognition in Europe. They are accepted by the majority of European retailers and are used by many companies to ensure compliance with market requirements and food and non-food safety regulations:

1. Carrefour - works with suppliers certified to the standard IFS Food 8 for food. It also calls for the standard IFS HPC 3 for personal care and household products to ensure the safety of non-food products. The standard IFS Logistics is also applied to maintain quality control at all stages of transport and storage of products in their supply chain.
2. Lidl - implements the standard IFS Food 8 for its food products to ensure their safety. Lidl works with suppliers that fulfil IFS requirements and also applies IFS Logistics for storage and distribution to ensure compliance with hygiene and quality standards.
3. Aldi - Aldi Sud and Aldi Nord networks require certification IFS Food 8 for all its own food products, and for hygiene and household products it complies with the IFS HPC 3. This ensures that food and non-food safety standards are met, thus aligning with consumer requirements. In terms of distribution and storage, IFS Logistics is an EU-wide supply chain standard.
4. Metro Group - works with suppliers that meet standards IFS Food 8 for food and IFS HPC 3 for non-food products. Metro also applies IFS Logistics for the storage and transport of goods.
5. Auchan - requires IFS standards for suppliers, applying IFS Food 8 for own-brand food and for suppliers. Standard IFS HPC 3 is used for non-food products such as personal hygiene and household products, and IFS Logistics is implemented to control the transport and storage process, which is important for maintaining the freshness and safety of the products.

These standards are important in the sourcing strategy of large retailers, helping to build consumer confidence in the brands they offer. Retailers that fulfil the IFS standards reflect the attention retailers pay to product quality and safety.