IFS broker

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IFS Broker or International Featured Standard Broker is a standardized procedure for the certification of the quality management of trading companies . The procedure, based on the rules of the International Featured Standard Food , is intended to ensure the quality of food, the health of consumers and the quality level of suppliers in the food trade, but can also be used in other areas of trade.

Food standards - history of origin

Food Standards ( English Food Standards ) are used for consumer protection and have a long tradition. Beer and wine were already checked for purity in ancient Greece. In the Middle Ages , various countries passed laws to ensure the quality and safety of eggs, sausage, cheese, beer, wine and bread. Some of these regulations still exist today. One of the oldest organizations for food standards was the International Dairy Federation , which was founded in 1903 and developed regulations for milk and dairy products. Founded in 1945 the Food and Agriculture Organization (Engl. Food and Agriculture Organization FAO) and the 1948 created World Health Organization (Engl. World Health Organization , WHO) attacked these regulations and conducted a series of joint expert meeting on the subject of food through out which resulted in the publication of numerous publications. Some of the standards developed from this on food safety and product quality were compiled in 1963 by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), made up of the two bodies WHO and FAO, to form the so-called Codex Alimentarius , whose aim is to protect the health of consumers and promote the international one Grocery trading is.

Ever increasing demands from consumers, the increasing risk of claims for damages and the globalization of the flow of goods made it necessary to develop a uniform quality standard . On the basis of this process, a quality and food safety standard was developed for private label retailers - IFS Food. This standard can be used in all production stages in which food is processed.

Creation of the IFS Broker Standard

Intermediaries (brokers) and importers - in times of globalization - play an increasingly important role in bringing manufacturers and retailers together. Since this type of procurement was not yet covered by any quality standard, the IFS Broker was published in 2009 based on IFS Food.

Main goals of the IFS broker

  • to check how brokers choose their suppliers, which quality requirements they have implemented and whether they are able to meet the current legal requirements, such as traceability ,
  • a uniform evaluation system,
  • Creation of comparability and transparency within the entire value chain ,
  • cost cutting

Differentiation from IFS Food

The International Featured Standard Food is a standard for auditing food processing companies that pack loose food products. IFS Food is therefore only used when a product is being processed or handled or when there is a possibility of product contamination .

The IFS Broker is used by companies that mainly trade . Brokers charge their customers for the goods directly, without necessarily having come into contact with the product. Thus, companies are certified that buy goods, but do not necessarily come into contact with the goods and have these products delivered directly to the customer.

Audit types

An audit is an investigation that is systematically carried out in companies by independent assessors approved by HDE Trade Services in order to check whether the required quality criteria are being implemented and "lived".

  • Initial audit: the first audit of a company according to the IFS Broker, during which all requirements of the IFS Broker Standard are assessed.
  • Follow-up audit (supplementary audit): If the issuing of a certificate cannot be justified, a follow-up audit is carried out within six months, in which the implementation of the measures to eliminate the nonconformities is checked.
  • Surveillance audit: A surveillance audit is carried out before the audit validity expires in order to be able to issue an updated certificate status .

literature

  • Naomi Rees, David Watson: International Standards for Food Safety . 2000, ISBN 0-8342-1768-6 .
  • FAO & WHO (Ed.): Codex Alimentarius General Requirements . 2001, ISBN 92-5104680-8 .
  • IFS Broker - Standard for the auditing of trading agencies, importers and brokers . December 2009.