IFS Food Version 8 is published!

There are many reasons why a new version has now been published – relatively shortly after the release of version 7 in October 2020. In addition to considering current trends, changed requirements and justified expectations of the food industry, the IFS (International Featured Standard) argues that the standard should be structured more consistently, efficiently, practically and clearly.

The most important changes at one glance:

• The B rating has been changed and can now be used again to classify deviations.
• The standard has been aligned with the Codex Alimentarius revision and ISO 22003-2 to meet GFSI benchmarking requirements.
• Assessments are again referred to as audits.
• IFS Star status for unannounced audits is introduced. A star symbol will be visible in the IFS database and on the IFS certificate.
• The structure of the checklist has been revised and is intended to simplify the audit process and increase the efficiency of the audit in the future. Chapter 6 Food Defense has been deleted and integrated into Chapter 4.
• Attention was paid to an understandable and clear formulation of the requirements in the checklist.
• In the future, companies will have to set goals for each of the four dimensions of the food safety culture.
• The existing obligation that the certification body is to be informed within 3 working days of changes that could have an impact on the fulfillment of the certification requirements remains in place, but it has been added that certification bodies are obliged to send a message to the IFS Management GmbH and to report on the results and the status of the root cause analysis no later than 10 working days after the notification was sent.
• There are also new requirements with regard to the handling of chemicals, the obligation to integrate sustainability into company policies, the validation of the HACCP plan, the monitoring of staff hygiene requirements and environmental monitoring.
• The term "annually" was made more concrete by the definition "once in 12 months".

Audits according to the new version of IFS Food, Version 8, will be possible from October 1^st, 2023 and will be mandatory for all certified companies from January 1^st, 2024.

Special regulations apply to the following circumstances:

For unannounced audits, version 8 applies if the audit window begins on or after October 1^st, 2023. Companies with several locations must take into account that the head office and locations must be audited according to the same version. In any case, version 8 is binding from January 1^st, 2024 for all audits carried out in the head office. If supplementary audits are required, the supplementary audit must be carried out according to version 7 if the previous initial or recertification audit was carried out according to version 7 before January 1^st, 2024. The same applies to an extension audit.

Further information

• qualityaustria product portfolio: Food Safety
• News article: New regulation: IFS Split Assessments
• News article: IFS Food Version 7 is published
• Overview: IFS Website