Food Industry and Brokers
Supporting manufacturers, packers and brokers through the requirements of food retail and the GFSI standards.
What makes this industry distinctive
The mid-sized food sector is under particular pressure: retail standards keep tightening, unannounced audits are reality, and allergen and food defence topics keep growing. We regularly work in production sites with 30 to 500 employees — and we know the gap between the audit report and shop-floor reality.
Situations clients come to us with
Initial certification required
Retail is demanding FSSC 22000 or IFS — and you are looking for someone who understands the build from a manufacturer's perspective, not just an auditor's.
Major non-conformities in the last audit
Repeat findings put your customer relationship under pressure. You need a sustainable solution, not a sticking plaster.
HACCP exists, but is not effective
On paper everything is documented — on the shop floor things are improvised. We bring the two back together.
FSSC 22000 v6 migration
Food loss management, extended allergen requirements, quality culture — and little time until the transition.
Which standards matter in this industry
FSSC 22000 (v6)
Global GFSI standard for food safety. Includes new topic areas from v6 onwards.
IFS Food
Retail standard especially common in German-speaking markets. Includes unannounced audits.
IFS Broker
For companies that buy and sell food without their own production.
BRCGS
Particularly relevant for supply into the UK and Ireland.
ISO 9001 / 14001 / 45001
Integrated management system across all three dimensions.
Mock audit before IFS re-certification
Mid-sized confectionery manufacturer, 200 employees. Starting point: in the last IFS audit two minor non-conformities in allergen management; the internal audit could not reproduce them. Approach: two-day mock audit focused on allergens and cleaning validation, action plan, training of shift leaders. Result: no findings in allergens in the follow-up audit; the plant has established the mock audit as an annual format.
Anonymised example, representative of our work in this industry.
View more case studies →Where do you stand today?
In a 30-minute initial consultation we clarify industry, standard and starting point.