BRCGS vs IFS: which standard should you choose for food safety?
The choice between BRCGS Food Safety and IFS Food starts with your products, processes and customer requirements. Both appear in the list of GFSI-recognised certification programmes , each with a defined scope. That does not make them automatically interchangeable in a supplier contract.
Ask your buyer which standard, certification scope and, if relevant, minimum result are required. A choice based only on the customer’s country can turn out wrong. If you also want to weigh the ISO-based route, use FSSC 22000 versus BRCGS versus IFS.
BRCGS vs IFS in brief
| Topic | BRCGS Food Safety | IFS Food |
|---|---|---|
| Where do you start? | Define products, processes and site | Define products, processes and site |
| Assessment result | Grade under the BRCGS protocol | Score and level under the IFS methodology |
| Unannounced assessment | Mandatory within the applicable audit programmes; also an optional route | At least every third audit unannounced |
| Relationship to ISO 22000 | Own standard; not an extension of ISO 22000 | Own standard; not an extension of ISO 22000 |
| Acceptance by your buyer | Check the contractual terms | Check the contractual terms |
The current standard documents, doctrines and position statements remain leading for the assessment. For BRCGS, the Issue 9 updates in 2026 are relevant for your preparation.
A choice in four steps
1. Describe the activities you want to certify
Note the site, product groups, processing, storage and outsourced activities. A certificate for a production site does not automatically cover every trading or logistics activity of the same company. For the BRCGS route, use the explanation of certification scope.
Discuss borderline cases with a competent certification body before you compare quotes. A cheap offer on a scope that is too narrow does not solve your customer’s question.
2. Ask for concrete acceptance terms
Ask the buyer in writing which scheme is accepted, and which site and products must fall under the evidence. Also check whether a minimum grade, level or specific audit route is prescribed. Keep the answer in your customer file.
If the contract only says “GFSI-certified”, ask for clarification. GFSI recognises programmes; the certification body certifies your site against the chosen scheme.
3. Compare what you already manage
Set the applicable requirements next to your existing way of working. Traceability, allergen control, hygiene, supplier assessment and follow-up of deviations may already be in place. Check per topic which evidence you can use and what the chosen standard additionally asks.
An existing ISO 22000 system gives you a starting point, but it does not prove that you automatically meet BRCGS or IFS. The FSSC route from ISO 22000 can also be an option if your customer accepts it.
4. Budget the full implementation
Compare audit costs, internal hours, training, improvements and recurring management on the same scope. Ask which assessment follows after nonconformities and how unannounced audits are scheduled. The BRCGS cost breakdown helps you formulate those quote questions.
Reading audit results correctly
BRCGS uses grades such as AA, A, B, C and D. A plus sign indicates an unannounced audit. The meaning of findings, the certification decision and the follow-up period follow from the official protocol. A D is not necessarily the same as having no certificate. Read BRCGS audit result for the difference between report, remediation and decision.
IFS Food uses an assessment score and certification levels. Specific findings can also affect the decision. Check the current standard and doctrine via the official IFS Food documentation . Do not translate a BRCGS grade into a supposedly equivalent IFS percentage.
An audit result is no guarantee that a food safety incident will never occur. Daily control, new risks and follow-up of deviations remain decisive.
Fictional example: one or two certificates?
A producer of chilled sauces supplies two customers. The first accepts only IFS Food for the production site. The second accepts either IFS Food or BRCGS Food Safety. If the other terms match, IFS Food can cover both contracts.
If a customer later makes an explicit BRCGS requirement, the producer weighs it separately: the extra work and certification costs against the value of that contract. He does not assume in advance that dual certification is needed.