Standards Comparison

    ISO 9001

    Voluntary
    2015

    International standard for quality management systems

    VS

    IFS Food

    Voluntary
    2023

    GFSI-benchmarked standard for food safety and quality auditing

    Quick Verdict

    ISO 9001 provides universal QMS for any industry, emphasizing continual improvement and customer focus. IFS Food targets food manufacturers with rigorous safety controls and annual audits. Companies adopt ISO 9001 for broad efficiency; IFS Food for retailer compliance and market access.

    Quality Management

    ISO 9001

    ISO 9001:2015 Quality management systems — Requirements

    Cost
    €€€
    Complexity
    Medium
    Implementation Time
    6-12 months

    Key Features

    • Only certifiable standard in ISO 9000 family
    • Risk-based thinking integrated into PDCA cycle
    • High-Level Structure enables multi-standard integration
    • Seven Quality Management Principles foundation
    • Process approach with leadership accountability
    Food Safety

    IFS Food

    IFS Food Version 8 Standard

    Cost
    €€€€
    Complexity
    High
    Implementation Time
    6-12 months

    Key Features

    • Product and Process Approach with traceability tests
    • Minimum 50% on-site production area evaluation
    • Risk-based HACCP with Knock-Out requirements
    • Annual audits with unannounced options
    • Integrated food fraud and defense controls

    Detailed Analysis

    A comprehensive look at the specific requirements, scope, and impact of each standard.

    ISO 9001 Details

    What It Is

    ISO 9001:2015 is the international certification standard for Quality Management Systems (QMS), specifying requirements for organizations to consistently meet customer and regulatory needs. It uses a process-based, risk-thinking approach via PDCA cycle across 10 clauses (4-10 auditable).

    Key Components

    • **7 Quality Management Principlescustomer focus, leadership, engagement of people, process approach, improvement, evidence-based decisions, relationship management.
    • Clauses cover context, leadership, planning, support, operation, evaluation, improvement.
    • High-Level Structure (Annex SL) for integration with other ISO standards.
    • Voluntary third-party certification with audits.

    Why Organizations Use It

    • Enhances customer satisfaction, efficiency, risk management.
    • Boosts market access, reputation, compliance.
    • Drives cost savings, continual improvement.
    • Builds stakeholder trust via over 1M global certifications.

    Implementation Overview

    • Gap analysis, process mapping, training, internal audits.
    • Applicable to all sizes/sectors; 6-12 months typical.
    • Certification via accredited bodies, ongoing surveillance.

    IFS Food Details

    What It Is

    IFS Food Version 8 is a GFSI-benchmarked certification framework for food manufacturers, auditing product and process compliance to ensure safe, legal, authentic products meeting customer specs. It uses a risk-based Product and Process Approach (PPA) with on-site verification.

    Key Components

    • Governance, HACCP/FSMS, PRPs, operational controls, performance monitoring.
    • ~200+ checklist requirements in 5 sections; 10 Knock-Out (KO) criteria.
    • Built on HACCP, PRPs; annual scoring-based certification (Higher/Foundation levels).

    Why Organizations Use It

    • Meets retailer mandates, reduces audit duplication.
    • Enhances food safety, fraud/defense risk management.
    • Boosts market access, efficiency, supply chain trust.

    Implementation Overview

    • Phased: gap analysis, FSMS build, training, internal audits.
    • For food processors globally; site-specific annual audits via accredited bodies.

    Key Differences

    Scope

    ISO 9001
    Quality management systems for all processes
    IFS Food
    Food safety, quality in manufacturing/packing

    Industry

    ISO 9001
    All industries, global applicability
    IFS Food
    Food processing/packing, mainly Europe

    Nature

    ISO 9001
    Voluntary certifiable standard
    IFS Food
    Voluntary GFSI-benchmarked certification

    Testing

    ISO 9001
    Third-party audits every 3 years
    IFS Food
    Annual full audits with on-site focus

    Penalties

    ISO 9001
    Loss of certification, no fines
    IFS Food
    Certificate withdrawal, no legal fines

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Common questions about ISO 9001 and IFS Food

    ISO 9001 FAQ

    IFS Food FAQ

    You Might also be Interested in These Articles...

    Run Maturity Assessments with GRADUM

    Transform your compliance journey with our AI-powered assessment platform

    Assess your organization's maturity across multiple standards and regulations including ISO 27001, DORA, NIS2, NIST, GDPR, and hundreds more. Get actionable insights and track your progress with collaborative, AI-powered evaluations.

    100+ Standards & Regulations
    AI-Powered Insights
    Collaborative Assessments
    Actionable Recommendations

    Check out these other Gradum.io Standards Comparison Pages