Today IFS released version 8 of IFS Food .
The new standard will be effective from 1 October 2023. Companies already certified will have until 1 January 2024 to make the transition.
The first Standard dates back to 21 years ago. Today with over 20,000 certificates, IFS Food has become a leading standard worldwide and the market leader in Europe.
In this new version you can find an optimized protocol, a new definition of B-scoring and the introduction of a star status to highlight unannounced audits. These updates facilitate efficient work with the standard for all parties involved.
The IFS Food version 8 accreditation process is ongoing with the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) to be recognized under the product certification of the IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA).
IAF MLA signatories mutually recognize accredited certification.
Accredited certificates are recognized in many markets on the basis of a single accreditation, which helps to reduce barriers to trade and promote food safety.
IFS has also started the application process with GFSI and hopes to get recognition of the GFSI benchmarking requirements for IFS Food version 8 soon.