ISO 22000, IFS Food and BRCGS: what they are and who asks for them
TS LAB d.o.o. manufactures dietary supplements in capsules in Komenda, Slovenia. TS LAB does not hold ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, IFS Food or BRCGS certification. Our site works to GMP and HACCP (Bureau Veritas). Send your buyer’s requirements and we confirm which documents we can provide.
Does TS LAB hold ISO 22000, IFS Food or BRCGS?
TS LAB does not hold ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, IFS Food or BRCGS certification. Our site works to GMP and HACCP (Bureau Veritas). Send your buyer’s requirements and we confirm which documents we can provide. TS LAB’s published marks include GMP, HACCP by Bureau Veritas, FDA facility registration, organic product handling and V-CERT vegan certification.
One sentence that is often misread
TS LAB materials refer to sourcing from ISO- and GMP-certified suppliers. Supplier certification and the certification of TS LAB’s own site are separate. Check the legal entity, production site, standard and scope on the document relevant to your order.
What are these standards, and who runs them?
Four different things are usually named in one breath. They have different owners, different scopes and different standing with retailers.
ISO 22000:2018
The international standard for a food safety management system, built on HACCP principles from the Codex Alimentarius and applicable across the whole food chain. It is certified by accredited certification bodies. On its own it is not recognised by the Global Food Safety Initiative.
FSSC 22000
Takes ISO 22000 as the management system and adds sector specific prerequisite programmes from the ISO 22002 series plus FSSC specific requirements. It is managed by Foundation FSSC and it is recognised by the Global Food Safety Initiative.
IFS Food
A retailer created standard. IFS is a joint undertaking of the French retail federation FCD and the German retail federation HDE, with the standards introduced in 2003. IFS Food version 8 dates from April 2023 and applies to food processors and to sites where there is a contamination risk during primary packing, which covers capsule filling and blistering.
BRCGS Food Safety Issue 9
The equivalent standard used mainly in the United Kingdom. It gained recognition from the Global Food Safety Initiative on 23 August 2024, and certificates issued before that date are not covered by that recognition.
None of these is a government requirement
They are private schemes. The reason they behave like requirements is commercial: retailers write them into supplier conditions. The legal frame for a supplement plant in the EU remains food hygiene law with HACCP under Regulation (EC) 852/2004 and the food supplements rules of Directive 2002/46/EC.
What do they cover, and what do they not cover?
They are broad on food safety management and silent on the parts that are specific to a supplement.
What they cover
The whole food safety management system of a site, audited to a fixed protocol, with a grade, unannounced audit options, and a certificate listed in the directory of the scheme. That directory is why a retailer can check a supplier without asking the supplier.
What they do not cover
Supplement specific topics that the Food Supplements Europe GMP guideline handles directly, such as stability studies and shelf life setting for a supplement dosage form. They also do not cover product legality or permitted claims, which stay with the brand owner in the market of sale.
Why does a brand buyer ask for IFS Food or BRCGS?
A buyer may set a required certification standard as part of its supplier approval process. Check the actual requirement for the product, country and supply agreement; the sales channel alone does not determine which standard is needed.
Retail own-brand requirements
Ask the retailer for its current supplier standard, acceptable certification schemes and the scope required for your product. Include any grade, audit or approval conditions. Send those written requirements with your enquiry so the available evidence can be assessed against them.
Pharmacy and drugstore products
Confirm the pharmacy or drugstore buyer’s approval process for the specific product and market. Ask which certificates, product tests and supplier documents it needs, and whether additional audits or technical reviews apply.
Other sales channels
For direct-to-consumer, marketplace, distributor or practitioner sales, confirm the requirements of the organisations involved in your route to market. A channel label is not enough to establish that a certificate or audit is unnecessary.
Send the requirement, not just the retailer name
Include the current supplier manual, onboarding checklist or written certification request. Confirm it covers the country, product and supply arrangement you are discussing.
What does TS LAB offer a buyer who asks for these?
Send the written standard or audit requirement with your product brief. Request TS LAB’s current certificates and agree which documents, tests and site review can support your buyer’s assessment. Only the buyer can confirm whether that evidence meets its supplier conditions.
What to include in your enquiry
- A site visit or customer audit in Komenda, by prior arrangement
- Current GMP and HACCP certificate copies, with issuer, number, scope and validity
- Raw-material COAs, plus any finished-batch tests and reports agreed for your order
- Specification and traceability documentation for the incoming raw materials
Check the scope on the certificate
Match the certificate’s legal entity and site to the manufacturer doing the work. Check the standard and version, issuer, scope, validity and any scheme-specific grade or status. A supplier’s certificate does not establish the certification of TS LAB’s manufacturing site.
All certificates, the document pack, what we make in capsules.
Confirm fit before committing
Checking the requirement early helps you decide whether the manufacturing route fits your buyer’s approval process before you commit to development, packaging or an order.
Questions buyers ask about retailer standards
Does TS LAB have IFS Food or BRCGS certification?
TS LAB does not hold ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, IFS Food or BRCGS certification. Our site works to GMP and HACCP (Bureau Veritas). Send your buyer’s requirements and we confirm which documents we can provide.
Does TS LAB have ISO 22000 or FSSC 22000?
TS LAB does not hold ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, IFS Food or BRCGS certification. Our site works to GMP and HACCP (Bureau Veritas). Send your buyer’s requirements and we confirm which documents we can provide.
Do I need my manufacturer to hold IFS Food?
Check your buyer’s current supplier requirements. Ask whether IFS Food is mandatory, whether another scheme is accepted, and which site, activities and product scope must be covered. Share that written requirement with TS LAB so the current evidence can be reviewed before ordering.
What is the difference between IFS Food and a GMP certificate for supplements?
IFS Food is a retailer created food safety standard audited to a fixed protocol, introduced in 2003 by the French and German retail federations and currently in version 8 from April 2023. A GMP certificate for food supplements is issued against a sector guideline such as the Food Supplements Europe guideline, and it covers supplement specific topics including stability studies and shelf life setting.
Is IFS Food a legal requirement in the EU?
No. The legal requirements for a food supplement manufacturer in the EU are food hygiene law with HACCP under Regulation (EC) 852/2004 and the food supplements rules of Directive 2002/46/EC. IFS Food and BRCGS are private standards that a buyer may require contractually.
Send your product brief and your buyer’s requirements
Send the product and the quantity, and receive an offer within 1 to 3 business days.
Registered company since 2011, credit rating AA+ (2026), registered data on the proof page.