Combined IFS and BRCGS certification: two GFSI-recognized standards in one

Would you like to combine your IFS and BRCGS audits into a single audit? You can with Kiwa. A combined IFS and BRCGS audit allows both certifications to be assessed efficiently as part of one audit process. Because the standards have significant overlap, duplicate activities can be avoided, saving time and reducing the burden on your organization while maintaining the quality and depth of the audit.

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Combined services

Our combined IFS and BRCGS audit brings together the requirements of both GFSI-recognized standards in one efficient audit process. This saves time, prevents duplicate work and supports efficient certification. Depending on your activities, different standards can be combined, such as IFS Food with BRCGS Food Safety, IFS Broker with BRCGS Agents & Brokers and IFS Logistics with BRCGS Storage & Distribution.

Benefits of combined IFS and BRCGS certification

Efficiency

A combined audit increases efficiency by carrying out processes, interviews and assessments only once wherever possible.

Cost savings

Potential cost savings can be achieved by reducing duplicate audit activities, meaning fewer audit hours may be required.

Less burden on your organization

The combined audit process has less impact on your day-to-day business activities and therefore places less burden on your employees.

International recognition

Meet the requirements of two globally recognized, GFSI-recognized food safety standards in a single audit process.

Certification with Kiwa: step by step

Our combined IFS and BRCGS audit brings together the requirements of both GFSI-recognized standards in one efficient audit process. This allows your organization to effectively meet customer and market requirements while reducing audit effort and the burden on your organization.

    Application and introduction

    Contact Kiwa to discuss your certification needs. Together, we will review your organization and determine the scope and categories of the audit.

    Proposal and agreement

    Based on our discussion, you will receive a customized proposal outlining the scope, categories and costs. Once you approve the proposal, we will start the certification process.

    Audit planning

    Once you have approved the proposal, we will schedule the combined IFS and BRCGS audit with you.

    Preparing for the audit

    Before the audit, we will provide you with all relevant information about the audit process, including an audit agenda specifically tailored to your combined IFS and BRCGS audit. We also recommend that you review the current documentation from both standard owners and implement the requirements within your organization.

    Conducting the audit

    The auditor will assess all production processes and departments at your company, as well as administrative and organizational procedures. This includes an assessment from the shop floor through to senior management. The auditor will collect evidence that the standard criteria have been adequately implemented. Any nonconformities will be discussed with you immediately.

    Preparing an improvement plan, if necessary

    If nonconformities have been identified, you must submit an improvement plan outlining the corrective actions taken. This can easily be submitted through our customer portal.

    Certification decision

    All findings, including the improvement plan, are recorded in both audit reports. The certification manager reviews the audit report and makes the certification decision, including the level/score of the certificate. If the result is positive, you will receive a certificate and a detailed report for each standard. The certificate is valid for a specified period, depending on the standard and the level/score achieved.

Frequently asked questions

Would you like to know what a combined IFS and BRCGS audit could mean for your organization? Please feel free to contact us.  

How much does combined IFS and BRCGS certification cost?

The costs depend, among other things, on the scope of your organization, its size and the number of employees. In many cases, a combined IFS and BRCGS audit allows audit hours to be used more efficiently, which can have a positive impact on the total certification costs.

Considerations for a combined IFS and BRCGS audit

A combined audit offers many benefits, but also requires good preparation. Although the two standards have many similarities, each standard has its own requirements and assessment criteria. It is therefore important that your management system demonstrably meets both the IFS and BRCGS requirements.

Which IFS and BRCGS standards can be combined?

Many IFS and BRCGS standards can be successfully combined in a single audit process. The best combinations are standards that focus on similar activities and therefore have significant overlap. Depending on your business activities, the following combinations are possible, among others:

  • IFS Food and BRCGS Food Safety
  • IFS Broker and BRCGS Agents & Brokers
  • IFS Logistics and BRCGS Storage & Distribution
  • IFS Food and BRCGS Agents & Brokers

Other combinations may be possible, depending on the scope and activities of your organization.

In addition to combinations of IFS and BRCGS standards, it is often also possible to combine multiple standards within the same standard family. Examples include a combined audit for IFS Food and IFS Logistics or for BRCGS Food Safety and BRCGS Storage & Distribution. This also reduces overlap in audit activities and allows for a more efficient audit process.

Good to know: We aim to conduct IFS and BRCGS audits together whenever possible. In exceptional cases, the availability of qualified auditors may mean that the audits are scheduled separately.