IFS to launch specific standard for fresh fruit & veg
A new protocol has just been released to carry out unannounced IFS audits, besides carrying out certification audits, in order to check on the continuous compliance of individual certified companies with the standards.
By the summer of 2016 the release of a new, specific standard for wholesalers and fruit and vegetable packing companies is also planned.
“This future standard is to become the one applied for fruit and vegetables, since IFS was created for food processing companies in general,” said IFS CEO Stephan Tromp.
IFS is also working on wide-ranging guidelines for pest control management.
“This is a huge subject and different approaches and methods exist on pest-control, but we want to respond to the new EU legislation,” he said.
Furthermore, IFS is working on a new protocol to be published on unannounced food checks made by IFS itself on foreign certification bodies.
More than 1,000 audits are conducted every year, leading to the conclusion that 95% of the auditors work properly and 5% are failing for one of three reasons: hygiene (HACCP standards), foreign body management or pest control.
This article first appeared in edition 143 (May/June 2016) of Eurofresh Distribution magazine. Read more from that issue here: www.eurofresh-distribution.com/magazine/143-2016-mayjune
