The international standard IFS, published in July 2006, has closed the gap between producers and retailers. It is a standard for certifying the providers of logistic services that cooperate with retailers. It was published by the German Retail Trade Association (HDE – Hauptverband des Deutschen Einzelhandels) and French Retail Trade Association (FCD – Fédération des Entreprises du Commerce et de la Distribution).
During the globalization boom, the transport and storage of products get all the attention. As soon as the product (food or non-food product) leaves the organization, it becomes a target of the workings of various risk factors. The quality of the product must be maintained and its safety ensured throughout the supply chain up to its final agent – the consumer.
The IFS standard combines general requirements of management system standards with specific requirements for storage, distribution and transport. Organizations already holding one of the ISO management system certificates (ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 22000…) have advantage over those without such a certificate and can acquire an IFS Logistic certificate with less strain.
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