Confusion with GFSI certification

We are considering trying for GSFI certification. At this point I am not sure which scheme but have been doing a bit of research on BRC & IFS. 

Currently we have HACCP  & GMP which passed a third party audit.

My questions: 

1 - When I put together our HACCP I followed the expectations given to us by the auditor and built our plan as laid out in the expectations.  Do I do the same thing for BRC or IFC according to the relevant standard?

2 -  Does our HACCP become part of BRC or IFS or does it remain stand alone?  I ask this question because from the standard I read, it seems as if it would be very repetitive to have separate documents for some of the clauses.

I hope I am making sense, this is new to me and I am getting overwhelmed.

Thanks for any help.

Hi Scoot 915

There are many kits available which will allow you to built your BRC and IFS system much quicker and such system would more likely be in compliance with the BRC or IFS requirements. Yes you can engage a consultant  to help u out but it is not necessary.

Your HACCP plan will become a part of BRC or IFS. In fact some certification bodies will offer you HACCP certification free of cost to get your business.

Kind regards

Dr. Humaid Khan

MD

Halal International Services

Beverly Hills NSW Australia

Hi Scoot,

The haccp/gmp. etc content in yr completed FSMS system has to minimally match that required by the intended standard of interest. Not the other way round.

i suggest you do a Gap Analysis for yr standards of interest. This will tell you where yr present haccp/gmp content does not match the standard.of interest.

A gap checklist is available on the forum/brc website for BRC7, IFS less sure.

I think there is also a  clause by clause comparison between brc6 and ifs6 on this forum.

Many people choose their GFSI recognized standard based on what is most compatible wth customer requirements,.

Hi Scoot 915

 

There are many kits available which will allow you to built your BRC and IFS system much quicker and such system would more likely be in compliance with the BRC or IFS requirements. Yes you can engage a consultant  to help u out but it is not necessary.

 

Your HACCP plan will become a part of BRC or IFS. In fact some certification bodies will offer you HACCP certification free of cost to get your business.

 

Kind regards

Dr. Humaid Khan

MD

Halal International Services

Beverly Hills NSW Australia

Thank for you reply.  It cleared up my confusion.

Hi Scoot,

 

The haccp/gmp. etc content in yr completed FSMS system has to minimally match that required by the intended standard of interest. Not the other way round.

 

i suggest you do a Gap Analysis for yr standards of interest. This will tell you where yr present haccp/gmp content does not match the standard.of interest.

A gap checklist is available on the forum/brc website for BRC7, IFS less sure.

 

I think there is also a  clause by clause comparison between brc6 and ifs6 on this forum.

 

Many people choose their GFSI recognized standard based on what is most compatible wth customer requirements,.

Thank you the reply.  Very helpful!     Located the documents you mentions, will read them over tonight.  My customers so not seem to specify which scheme, just a GFSI but I need to look into that more.

Somewhat off my topic, but curious of opinions on how much more difficult it is to get GFSI certification than passing HACCP audit?

Hi Scoot,

Of the two standards, I suggest that BRC may be more useful. BRC has a public directory so your customers can confirm that you have a current certificate, whereas IFS do not provide any validation unless you are an IFS customer. From my perspective this is quite important as I believe that I have seen a few forged GFSI certificates from potential suppliers. I will always validate them against the public database. FSSC22000, SQF and BRC all offer this. IFS do not. You can often check with the auditing body as many of them provide public databases, but it can often be a hassle.

You have to check your HACCP whether it is against the Codex.

Somewhat off my topic, but curious of opinions on how much more difficult it is to get GFSI certification than passing HACCP audit?

Hi scoot,

It depends on factors like -

(a) the complexity of yr product/process

(b) the level of yr technical backup

(c) the auditorial rigor which was required for yr 3rd party haccp audit / certification

(d) the level of Top management commitment to attaining certification to a GFSI-recognized standard.

(e) yr preferred GFSI-recognized Standard, eg fssc22000 uses iso-haccp / iso22002.

(f) whether you have experience iso9001

Hi Scoot,

Since you are in the states. What commodity are you trying to get certified? A lot of fresh produce gets PrimusGFS in the states.

Thanks,

Cal

Hi Scoot,

 

Since you are in the states. What commodity are you trying to get certified? A lot of fresh produce gets PrimusGFS in the states.

 

Thanks,

Cal

Hi Cal,

Assuming no change in last 10 months -

We are a small manufacturer of frozen bread dough, frozen par-baked breads and fresh breads. Our frozen products are shipped to wholesale customers who distribute to their retail level stores, our fresh products are shipped to retail customers.

Our products are not considered RTE.

Hi Cal,

 

Assuming no change in last 10 months -

Thanks Charles, I was looking for an older post from his profile to answer my question.

In that case then BRC would be ideal. I network with a few people in your industry and they use BRC here in the states. The ready to eat baked goods all have SQF.

Thank you,

Cal