Audits & Certifications

IFS Logistics: What It Is and Who Must Get Certified

By Claudia · · 6 min read

IFS Logistics: what it is and who must get certified

IFS Logistics: what it is and who must get certified

If you work in the food sector and your company stores, transports, or manages food goods, you've probably heard of IFS Logistics. This international standard has become a key benchmark for every logistics operator who wants to prove their processes meet the highest food safety standards. In this article, we explain exactly what it is, who it applies to, and what requirements you need to keep in mind to face an audit with confidence.

What IFS Logistics is and how it differs from IFS Food

IFS Logistics is a standard developed by International Featured Standards (IFS, n.d.) specifically for companies that provide logistics services for food products and other consumer goods. Its goal is to ensure that transport, storage, and handling operations are carried out safely, hygienically, and traceably, without the product undergoing alterations that could compromise the safety of the end consumer.

The main difference from IFS Food lies in the scope of each standard. While IFS Food is designed for manufacturers or processors of food — that is, companies that produce or process the product — IFS Logistics focuses on the downstream supply chain: the link connecting the factory to the point of sale or consumption. In practical terms, if your company doesn't process the food but does transport, store, or distribute it, IFS Logistics is the standard that applies to you.

Both standards share a common philosophy based on risk management, continuous improvement, and documentary evidence, but their technical requirements are adapted to the realities of each activity. IFS Logistics pays special attention to aspects such as temperature control during transit, allergen management in multi-product environments, cargo security, and issue management specific to the logistics sector.

Who this certification applies to: warehouses, transport, and food logistics operators

The IFS Logistics certification is aimed at any company whose main activity is providing logistics services for food products, although it also applies to companies handling hygiene or household items. Specifically, the most common profiles that pursue this standard are:

  • Warehouse and distribution center operators storing food at ambient, chilled, or frozen temperature.
  • Road, sea, or air transport companies carrying food goods, including temperature-controlled carriers.
  • Integrated logistics operators combining storage, picking, order preparation, and distribution.
  • Brokers or freight agents who subcontract transport but take responsibility for the cold chain and traceability.

Who requires this certification? It's typically large distributors, supermarket chains, and European retailers who demand it as a condition for working with a logistics supplier. If your target customer is a major organized-retail operator — especially in Germany, France, or northern Europe — holding the IFS Logistics food standard can be essential to get onto, or stay on, their approved supplier panel.

The key requirements: traceability, in-transit temperature control, and warehouse issue management

The IFS Logistics requirements are structured across several chapters covering everything from the quality and food safety management system to specific operational requirements. Here we highlight the three pillars that receive the most attention during the audit:

Full traceability of goods

The standard requires the company to be able to trace any product batch through every stage under its responsibility: from receipt to delivery. This means keeping complete records of inbound and outbound movements, storage locations, and internal transfers. Traceability must work in both directions — backward and forward — and records must be immediately available during an audit or a food alert, as established by Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 (Regulation [EC] 178/2002, 2002) as a general principle of European food law.

In-transit temperature control

For companies working with chilled or frozen products, in-transit temperature control is one of the most critical and most closely audited points. IFS Logistics requires documented procedures to verify and record vehicle and chamber temperatures, both before loading and during transport. Temperature records must be retained and accessible, and there must be a clear response protocol in case of deviation.

Warehouse issue management

The standard also requires a robust system for identifying, logging, and managing any issue affecting the integrity or safety of goods: cold chain breaks, physical damage, cross-contamination, picking errors, or security problems. Each issue must be documented with its cause, the corrective actions taken, and verification of their effectiveness. This continuous-improvement cycle is essential to passing the audit with a satisfactory score.

How quality software prepares documentary evidence for the IFS Logistics audit

One of the biggest challenges quality managers in logistics companies face is document management. An IFS Logistics audit can require reviewing hundreds of records: temperatures, supplier files, non-conformities, training plans, vehicle cleaning protocols, or equipment calibration records. Doing this with spreadsheets or paper folders multiplies the risk of something failing at the worst possible moment.

Quality software specialized in the food industry, like Solved, lets you centralize all this documentation and manage it in a structured, accessible way. Here are some of the features that make a real difference when preparing for an IFS Logistics audit:

  • Automated temperature logging: integration with sensors and loggers to capture real-time data and generate immediate alerts on any deviation.
  • Non-conformity and issue management: a structured workflow to log, assign, resolve, and verify each issue, with full traceability of the cycle.
  • Document control: up-to-date versions of procedures, instructions, and forms, with access control and an approval record.
  • Batch traceability: instant lookup of the movement history for any reference or batch, in real time and from any device.
  • Internal audit management: planning, execution, and follow-up of pre-audits that help identify weak points before the external auditor arrives.

Having all your evidence organized, up to date, and accessible on a single platform doesn't just make the audit easier — it reduces stress on the quality team and shows the auditor a level of management maturity that adds points to the final score. In an increasingly demanding environment, where customers expect transparency and standards keep evolving, digitizing quality management stops being a competitive edge and becomes a necessity.

If your company is in the process of getting IFS Logistics certified, or wants to take a leap forward in digitizing its quality system, at Solved we can support you every step of the way.

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