BRC vs. IFS: Food Safety Certifications Sunflower Seed Buyers Should Ask About

BRC and IFS come up constantly in buyer questionnaires, and it's easy to treat them as interchangeable since both are GFSI-recognized. They're not identical — here's what actually differs, and why the right one to ask about depends on your specific market.

What Do the Key Terms Mean?

GFSI is the Global Food Safety Initiative, a benchmarking body: it does not provide certification itself, and a GFSI-recognised scheme is one that meets its benchmarking requirements (GFSI).

BRCGS and IFS Food are two certification schemes, each owned by its own organisation and audited by accredited certification bodies.

Certificate scope is the list of sites, products and processes that a certificate actually covers, which is not always the same as the supplier's whole business.

What Do BRC and IFS Actually Certify?

Both are GFSI-recognized food safety certification schemes, meaning both are generally accepted by retailers worldwide as meeting a baseline food safety standard — GFSI itself isn't a certification, it's a benchmarking framework that BRC, IFS, and a handful of other schemes are measured against. A supplier holding either generally clears the same fundamental bar, but the audit approach and regional expectations differ.

What's the Practical Difference in How They Audit?

BRCGS audits are centered on the production line and specific products, with auditors spending significant time observing the factory floor in real time; IFS evaluates both the production process and the final product, with more prescriptive, detailed operational requirements. Neither approach is objectively better — they reflect different audit philosophies that happen to have taken hold in different regions.

Do BRC and IFS Use the Same Scoring System?

No — BRCGS uses a letter-grade system (AA, A, B, C, D) based on the number and severity of non-conformances found, while IFS uses a percentage-and-level scoring system. If you're comparing two suppliers' certification results directly, confirm which scheme each one holds before assuming the grades are directly comparable — they aren't the same scale.

Which One Should a Buyer Ask a Supplier About?

It depends heavily on your destination market: IFS Food is more widely implemented in continental Europe, while BRCGS is more common in Anglo-Saxon markets (UK, North America). If you're selling into UK or North American retail, BRCGS is the more commonly expected credential; for continental European retail, IFS is more standard. A supplier holding neither the specific one your market expects isn't necessarily lower quality, but it may mean an additional step to satisfy your own retail customers' requirements.

What Does an Unannounced Audit Mean, and Does It Matter?

BRCGS requires fully unannounced audits for its highest grade tier (AA+), meaning the facility must stay audit-ready year-round rather than preparing for a scheduled visit; IFS and other schemes generally offer unannounced audits as an optional upgrade rather than a requirement. An unannounced-audit result, where available, is generally considered a stronger signal of consistent (not just pre-audit) compliance.

Should a Buyer Accept Either Certification, or Insist on a Specific One?

For most buyers, either GFSI-recognized scheme demonstrates a real, audited food safety management system — insisting on one specific scheme over the other usually matters only when your own retail customers have a stated requirement. If you're not sure what your customers expect, it's worth checking before you rule out an otherwise well-qualified supplier over scheme choice alone.

What Should You Ask a Supplier About Their Certification?

Ask which specific scheme they hold, request a copy of the actual current certificate (not just a claim), and confirm the certificate's expiration date and grade/score. This is the same pattern covered in our guide to what to ask a sunflower seed supplier — a real certification holder shares this without hesitation.

Does XingYi Trading Hold BRC or IFS Certification?

Confirm current certification status directly with us when you request a quote — we're glad to share what's held and current for your specific order. This is general information, not legal or compliance advice; confirm your destination market's specific retail requirements with your own compliance team or the retailer directly.

Are There Other GFSI-Recognized Schemes Besides BRC and IFS?

Yes — FSSC 22000 and SQF are the other two most commonly referenced GFSI-recognized certification schemes, and a supplier might hold one of these instead of BRC or IFS. FSSC 22000 tends to have a stronger presence in some Asian and Middle Eastern markets, while SQF is more established in North American retail alongside BRCGS. If a supplier holds a GFSI-recognized scheme other than the one you initially asked about, it's still worth understanding, since all schemes benchmarked against GFSI are considered to meet an equivalent fundamental safety standard.

How Often Does a Facility Need to Renew Its Certification?

An IFS Food certificate has 12-month validity, and BRCGS certificate cycles can differ by grade, so check the dates printed on each certificate; both require a re-audit to maintain certification — this is why confirming the current expiration date on a certificate matters, not just whether a supplier has ever held the certification. A certificate that expired months ago and hasn't been renewed is a materially different situation than an active, current one, even though both might come up in casual conversation as "we're BRC certified."

Does Certification Guarantee a Supplier Has No Quality Issues?

No — certification confirms a facility's food safety management system meets an audited standard at the time of the audit, not that every batch produced will be flawless. It's a strong baseline signal, but it complements rather than replaces the batch-specific verification covered in our third-party inspection and supplier self-audit guides.

Are the Main Schemes All GFSI-Recognised?

Yes. The GFSI recognised list, August 2024 names the BRCGS Global Standard for Food Safety (issue 8), IFS Food (version 7), FSSC 22000 (version 5.1) and the SQF Food Safety Code (edition 9), so a buyer who accepts GFSI recognition can treat all four as meeting the benchmark. Newer issues of the standards exist or will follow, so ask which one the certificate was issued against.

How Does IFS Food Scoring Work in Numbers?

The IFS Food standard, version 8, gives clear thresholds. A total score of 95% or more passes at the Higher Level with a 12-month certificate, and a score of at least 75% and below 95% passes at the Foundation Level, also with a 12-month certificate. A single Major non-conformity with a total score of at least 75% leads to a follow-up audit, and more than one Major, or a total score below 75%, fails the audit (IFS Food version 8).

How Is the IFS Certificate Period Calculated?

The IFS certificate starts on its issue date and ends on the last day of the initial audit date plus eight weeks, minus one day, plus one year, and the recertification audit window runs from eight weeks before to two weeks after the due date (IFS Food version 8). In practice the expiry date on the certificate is what matters, and a buyer should note it in the supplier file.

What Should You Check on the Certificate Itself?

• •The scheme and its issue or version number.
• •The site name and address, which must match the facility that packs your seed.
• •The scope, including product categories, and whether it covers the process you need.
• •The grade or score and the issue and expiry dates.
• •The name of the accredited certification body that issued it.

Ask About Our Certifications

Request samples and a specification sheet and ask directly about current food safety certifications for your order.