Hands on
High customer satisfaction
Involved
Custom advice
Professional
Wide range of courses

GFSI imposes suspension on International Featured Standards (IFS)

On Dec. 9, 2022, the GFSI Steering Committee publicly announced the suspension of IFS' GFSI benchmark for a period of three months, effective Dec. 8, 2022.

This, according to the GFSI, would be necessary to maintain confidence in GFSI-accredited certification programs and maintain the integrity of the GFSI accreditation.

However, IFS indicates that there are no professional food safety reasons for the suspension, the relationship between IFS and GFSI is said to have been strained for some time. With this suspension, GFSI questions the integrity of the IFS. Therefore, the IFS has indicated it will take legal action against GFSI's activities.

You can read the full announcements on the GFSI1 the IFS2 websites.

What is the impact for GFSI-certified companies?

GFSI announced that the suspension decision will affect certificates associated with certification audits taking place from Dec. 8, 2022, until the date GFSI announces that accreditation has been restored.

IFS certificates issued for an audit conducted during the suspension period will not be GFSI-accredited. GFSI recommends that you consult your own supplier agreements in that case and liaise with your customers to evaluate what is acceptable to them regarding their requirements for GFSI-accredited certification programs. The expectation is that suppliers and customers will want to be accommodating.

If your facility is currently certified under IFS certification programs, you do not need to take any action. The GFSI recognition of any existing certificate that includes your facility will remain valid until the expiration date of the certificate.

IFS itself indicates that the suspension will have little impact for certified and yet-to-be-certified companies. They inform that all IFS certifications will still be valid and that retailers and wholesalers in the IFS network have made it clear that these certifications will continue to be recognized during the GFSI suspension.

In short, full clarity on the implications is not yet available.

Need support?

Are you unsure about what the implications are for your company or are you considering GFSI recognized certification? We would be happy to help you further. For questions or support, contact us at +31 (0)30 - 65 66 010 or info@precongroup.com.

1 https://mygfsi.com/news_updates/gfsi-steering-committee-sanctions-international-featured-standards-ifs/
2 https://www.ifs-certification.com/index.php/en/news/news-archiv/4304-important-notification-about-gfsi-suspension

Back to overview

Stay informed

Subscribe to our newsletter, our monthly look at food and non-food quality management.