Supply chains e distribution networks increasingly complex have intensified the request for guarantees on quality and food safety by Consumers and Authorities. In response to this pressing attention, the large-scale retail trade has become an international promoter of hygienic-quality standards, requesting their application from their suppliers.

Through these schemes, it is possible to monitor and check the processing methods and compliance with hygiene requirements along the entire supply chain, guaranteeing food safety and prompt risk management, should a problem arise.

Not only Suppliers but also Raw material producers and Transporters are involved in this challenge today. The company that wants to enter the international market cannot ignore the adoption of these standards.

The BRC and IFS standards are international schemes promoted with the aim of harmonizing, in the face of common principles, the different standards adopted by the European large-scale retail trade.

The BRC - British Retailer Consortium - standard was born in England, where it is now institutionalized; IFS - International Food Standard - is an equivalent instrument issued by the most important names in the German, French and Italian large-scale retail trade.

Both standards provide certification audit by Third Party Bodies. In fact, today, with their respective latest editions, the two standards have aligned, facilitating the possibility of joint certification audits.