Any company that handles food in Spain is legally required to maintain a self-control system based on the principles of HACCP, a requirement outlined in Article 5 of Regulation (EC) 852/2004.
The BRC standard, IFS Food, and ISO 22000 are not mandated by any legal standard: they are private and voluntary standards. Nevertheless, each year more food operators decide to get certified, almost always because a client has demanded it.
In the specifications, it is common to find the acronyms IFS and BRC together, as if they were interchangeable, and they are not. At Normapymes, we assist food SMEs in these processes, and almost all projects start with the same question: which one corresponds to me.
The difference lies in the demonstration
HACCP and certification pursue the same goal, ensuring product quality and safety, so the difference lies in who verifies it: HACCP is maintained by the organisation itself under the supervision of the health authority, while a certifiable standard incorporates periodic audits by an independent entity.
This distinction, seemingly formal, becomes crucial when the one asking is not an inspector but a buyer.
The origins of IFS and BRC standards
The BRC standard, now BRCGS, emerged in 1998 driven by the British Retail Consortium, the trade association for retail in the UK, when supermarkets decided to stop auditing the same suppliers separately. It is the most prescriptive and remains the reference for British distribution. It is currently on Issue 9.
The IFS Food replicated that model from the continent, driven by the German retail federation and its French equivalent, which is why the IFS Food certification appears when the client is a German, French, or Italian chain. It is currently on version 8.
The ISO 22000 does not originate from retail: it is a food safety management system following the logic of ISO 9001, and is the most flexible and economical to maintain.
The GFSI, the detail that confuses
This is the inquiry we receive most at Normapymes. The Global Food Safety Initiative determines which schemes it considers equivalent, and the IFS and BRC standards are recognised worldwide.
ISO 22000 alone is not. However, FSSC 22000 is recognised, which incorporates sector-specific prerequisites, so getting certified only in ISO 22000 to access the shelves of a large chain often ends in a denial.
Practical differences between IFS and BRC
Both are widely used standards and require the same fundamental elements: HACCP, traceability, allergens, and suppliers. The relevant differences are operational:
| BRC Standard (BRCGS) | IFS Food | ISO 22000 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Origin | British Retail Consortium (UK), 1998 | German and French retail | ISO |
| Version | Issue 9 | Version 8 | — |
| Recognised by GFSI | Yes | Yes | No (but FSSC 22000 is) |
| Result | Letter grading | Percentage and level | Pass or fail |
| Who requests it | British and Irish distribution | German, French, and Italian chains | No client imposing a standard |
- The result. The BRC standard provides a letter grade, while IFS Food scores in percentage and assigns a level; ISO 22000 is either obtained or not, without gradation.
- The notice. Unannounced audits have become common, and sometimes it is the client themselves who imposes it by contract.
- The scope. The certificate covers specific products and processes: poorly defined, it does not enable the order you were seeking.
How to choose without wasting money
- British or Irish distribution: usually BRCGS certification.
- German, French, or Italian distribution: usually IFS Food certification.
- Without a client imposing a standard: ISO 22000, and FSSC 22000 if the goal is large distribution.
In the projects we prepare at Normapymes, audit non-compliances are rarely technical: they are almost always records filled out retrospectively and critical limits without documented validation. In both IFS and BRC, as well as in the implementation of ISO 22000, it is reasonable to start by reviewing the existing system.
Normapymes (normapymes.es) is a consultancy specialised in the implementation and certification of management systems —ISO 22000, BRCGS, IFS Food, and ISO 9001— for SMEs throughout Spain.
You may also like
