IFS Logistics Certyfication

IFS Logistics certification is often a prerequisite for cooperation with food processing companies supplying products to retail chains. It is also proof of the company's credibility, caring for the safety and hygiene of transported or stored goods. The certificate gives access to potential customers through access to a database of companies with IFS certificates. The current version of the IFS Logistics v. 2.3 standard, in force since 2021

The standard provides guidelines for logistics companies in order to standardise requirements for the supply chain, including logistics activities, in line with customer expectations. It has been developed due to the increasing demands for transparency in the supply chain and for ensuring that the products of food manufacturers are in the right conditions throughout the logistics process.

IFS Logistics is for companies involved in the logistics of both food and non-food products and covers all activities such as loading, unloading and transport.

IFS Logistics is a high compliance standard which not only places obligations on participants in the supply chain, but also demands on Certification Bodies and IFS auditors.

TÜV NORD Polska offers certification for the IFS Logistics standard as a process accredited by the Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle (DAkkS) under the product certification body TÜV NORD Cert D-ZE-12007-01-01. IFS Logistics audits are performed by Polish auditors.

The scope and duration of an audit depends in particular on the size of the logistics area and the specifics of the company - the type of services offered.

The typical minimum duration of an audit is 1 day (8-9 hours).

The audit assesses the extent to which the requirements of the IFS Logistics Standard have been implemented.

IFS Logistics offers two audit options:

• Announced - the company agrees the audit date in advance with the certification body

• Unannounced - the company is not informed in advance about the date of the audit

NOTE!

As of 2021, mandatory unannounced audit as 1 of 3 in the certification/re-certification cycle.

Audits conducted in accordance with the IFS standard can be announced or unannounced. The validity of the certificate is 12 months.

• Internationally recognised standard based on GFSI requirements increases confidence of customers and business partners
• Includes a reporting system and certification that is accepted by customers instead of conducting their own audits, thereby reducing time and costs
• Allows certified companies to be verified in a publicly available IFS directory, which recognises their achievements and allows the use of the logo for marketing purposes
• The scope of the Standard is comprehensive and covers product safety, quality and legal compliance
• Requires corrective actions to be taken in relation to non-conformities with the requirements of the standard and the root cause analysis of these non-conformities, thus ensuring the monitoring of the system for continuous improvement