The IFS Global Markets – Food is a standardized food safety assessment program for retailers as well as industry branded food products. The program is meant to support “small and/or less developed businesses” in the development of their food safety management systems and making the first step towards the implementation of the IFS Food Standard.

Assessments of suppliers against IFS Global markets protocol are not just an auditing facility but also a capacity building programme for suppliers to deliver safe products according to your specifications and inherently be able to get certified to GFSI recognized standards.

The programme is designed as a non-certification assessment process, which is carried out within a defined time period set by you. The programme consists of three tiers of work:

• Implementation of IFS Basic Level Requirements.
• Business should progress to implementation of IFS Intermediate Level Requirements .
• Therefore within the period set by you, the food business should be in a position to progress to full certification against a IFS food.

Your long‐term benefits if you chose to use the programme will be:

• Confidence in your supply chain
• Continuous improvement in food safety which could lead to less recalls and withdrawals
• Less redundance in not conducting your own assessments. Programme leads to cost efficiency along the supply chain through common and accepted assessment practices, processes and reports.