IFS Version 5 to be launched on 1 August 2007

lunes 2 julio 2007

The new International Food Standard (IFS) version 5 has been presented in Berlin at the conference of all IFS certification bodies. After an important work over a period of eighteen months, the version 5, which lays down the food safety criteria for auditing suppliers of retailer branded products, is now ready for launch. The IFS will continue to be promoted by all member companies of the German and French retail federations HDE and FCD, but now also counts with the support of the Italian retail associations Federdistribuzione, Ancc and Ancd.

The new version is based on a detailed analyse of the current IFS version 4. It takes into account experience from the preceding IFS versions, opinions from industry, retail and research experts, from public authorities and federations, intensive work by committees, and numerous test audits conducted in different parts of Europe. In November 2005 a review committee, whose members came from retail, industry, and the certification bodies, gave the green light for the development of the new version. It was followed by an extensive questionnaire of all IFS users. Over 500 answers from suppliers and certification bodies as well as the experience of the accreditation bodies COFRAC, DAP, and Sincert resulted in the new version.

Quality managers of the retailers have collaborated in drawing up the new version 5, which already takes account of the new Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) Guidance Documents, due to be issued in the summer of 2007.

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