For food manufacturers, bakeries, confectioneries and packing facilities
IFS Food implementation. From GAP analysis to certificate.
Retail chains want the certificate, production has to keep running, and the standard has over 230 requirements. We guide your plant the whole way: GAP analysis → documentation and implementation → internal audits → certification audit. You produce, we guard the standard.
What IFS Food is and why retail chains require it
IFS Food is an international food safety and quality standard recognised by the GFSI initiative. Most retail chains in the Czech Republic and the EU require the certificate from private label manufacturers — without it, getting listed is practically impossible.
The standard covers the entire plant: management system, HACCP, operational hygiene, traceability, allergens, food defense and protection against food fraud. The certification audit is performed by an independent accredited body and assesses more than 230 requirements.
Access to retail chains
The certificate is your ticket to private label contracts in the Czech Republic and EU export.
Fewer customer audits
One recognised certificate replaces repeated audits by individual customers.
Operations under control
Traceability, allergen management and recalls stop being improvisation.
Higher company value
A certified plant negotiates better prices and is worth more when selling the business.
Who we prepare for IFS Food
🏭 Production plants
Food manufacturing of every size — from family businesses to industrial operations.
🥖 Bakeries & confectioneries
Artisan and industrial production heading into retail.
🍣 Sushi & delicatessen production
Chilled production with short shelf life — our home discipline.
📦 Packing facilities
Packing and repacking food for retail private labels.
🥗 Ready meal production
Convenience, ready-to-eat and catering in production mode.
🚚 Retail chain suppliers
Anyone whose customer has said: “Without IFS we cannot continue.”
How implementation works
Six phases, clear deliverables, no surprises. Your team learns as we go — the standard must not depend on a single person.
GAP analysis
We review the plant and documentation against the current version of the standard. Output within 2 weeks: list of non-conformities, priorities by risk, cost estimate and a realistic schedule. Only then do you decide whether to continue.
Implementation plan
A roadmap with responsibilities and deadlines: what documentation solves, what requires investment in the plant and what needs a change of habits. You approve the budget and milestones up front.
Documentation and roll-out
HACCP, traceability, allergen management, food defense, food fraud, supplier management, product recalls. We write procedures so production actually uses them — not so they sit in a binder.
Team training
Management, technologists, shift leaders and operators — every role gets exactly what it needs to know at the audit. Materials in Czech and English to match your team.
Internal audit and dress rehearsal
An ISO 19011 internal audit covering the scope of the certification audit, including a product recall simulation and traceability test. We remove non-conformities before the real date.
Certification audit and long-term care
We help you choose a certification body, stay available during the audit and when resolving findings. After certification we watch changes to the standard, run annual internal audits and manage recertification — the certificate must be defended every year.
A consultant who speaks the language of production
We are not a certification authority or template sellers. We are auditors with experience from real operations — from sushi production to industrial canteens. We know what a 3 a.m. shift looks like, and we can translate the standard into procedures your production team will make its own.
- CeMS and ISO 19011 certified auditor
- Documentation in Czech and English for international teams
- Digital records via SafeFood Control Hub — the auditor sees data, not binders
- One partner from GAP analysis to recertification
230+
requirements of the standard we watch for you
2 weeks
from order to GAP analysis output
4–9 mo.
typical road to certificate, depending on starting point
1×
a year to defend it — we stay with you after certification
Built on audit practice
Food safety in production facilities is our daily work — documentation, ISO 19011 internal audits and preparing operations for inspections. IFS Food builds on that practice: the same rigour, the same insistence that the system works on the production floor, not just on paper.
Certified auditor
We run internal audits to ISO 19011 — the same methodology certification auditors use. We know what they ask and what they want to see.
Production know-how
From chilled short-shelf-life production to bakeries and packing plants. We write documentation from your real processes, not from a template.
Fixed-price GAP analysis
Before any commitment you get a precise picture: where you stand against the standard, what needs to be added and what certification will cost.
IFS Food FAQ
How long does IFS Food implementation take?
Do we need HACCP before certification?
Do you perform the certification audit itself?
What if the audit reveals non-conformities?
How much does implementation cost?
Can you help with IFS Global Markets Food?
Find out how far you are from the certificate
A free, no-obligation consultation: we discuss your operation and your customer's requirements, and tell you straight what lies ahead — including what you can handle yourselves.
- 30 minutes with an auditor, not a salesperson
- Free estimate of scope and schedule
- Fixed-price GAP analysis as the first step