If you work in food manufacturing or ingredient sourcing, you will encounter GFSI regularly; in supplier questionnaires, audit requirements, and customer specifications. It is also one of the more frequently misunderstood terms in food safety, and that misunderstanding tends to create unnecessary confusion during supplier approvals.
The most common assumption is that GFSI is itself a certification scheme. It is not, and recognising that distinction makes it considerably easier to navigate the food safety landscape with confidence. This guide explains what GFSI is, how its benchmarking process works, which schemes it recognises, and what it means in practice for buyers and sourcing teams.
What is GFSI?
GFSI stands for the Global Food Safety Initiative. It is a business-driven organisation, managed under the Consumer Goods Forum, whose purpose is to harmonise food safety standards across global supply chains.
GFSI does not audit suppliers and does not issue certificates. What it does is benchmark existing food safety certification schemes against a set of common requirements and formally recognise those that meet the standard.
In practical terms, a supplier certified to a GFSI-recognised scheme has been assessed against requirements that GFSI has determined to be robust and equivalent. A buyer can therefore treat that certification with a consistent level of confidence, regardless of which specific scheme was used.
GFSI was founded in 2000, in part as a response to increasing retailer-driven audits that were placing significant burden on suppliers. The goal was to establish a principle of once certified, accepted everywhere; reducing duplication and creating greater efficiency across global supply chains.
Benchmarking vs Certification: What is the Difference?
Certification is what happens when a supplier is audited against a specific standard; BRCGS Food Safety or FSSC 22000, for example, and achieves a certificate from an accredited certification body. That certificate confirms the supplier has met the requirements of that scheme.
Benchmarking is what GFSI does. It assesses whether a certification scheme itself is rigorous enough to merit recognition. The process is best understood as accrediting the standards rather than the suppliers.
A supplier cannot be GFSI certified. They can hold a certificate under a GFSI-recognised scheme, and that is the terminology worth using when specifying requirements or evaluating supplier documentation.
How the Benchmarking Process Works
GFSI maintains a document known as the Benchmarking Requirements, which sets out the criteria a food safety scheme must meet in order to receive recognition. Scheme owners; the organisations that develop and manage standards such as BRCGS or SQF, apply to have their scheme assessed against these requirements.
The assessment process evaluates the scheme across a range of areas including scope, food safety management system requirements, prerequisite programmes, HACCP principles, and the competence and independence of the certification bodies delivering audits under the scheme.
Schemes that achieve recognition are listed on the GFSI website and must reapply when significant changes are made to their requirements. Recognition is therefore not permanent; it is maintained through ongoing alignment with GFSI’s criteria.
For buyers, this process provides assurance that recognised schemes are subject to independent oversight. It also means that when a scheme updates its requirements, those updates have been assessed for continued alignment with the GFSI benchmark.
Which Schemes are GFSI-Recognised?
Several widely used certification schemes carry GFSI recognition. The most common ones buyers and manufacturers encounter include:
- BRCGS (British Retail Consortium Global Standards); widely used across UK and European supply chains
- FSSC 22000 (Food Safety System Certification); ISO-based and globally recognised
- SQF (Safe Quality Food); prevalent in North American markets
- IFS Food (International Featured Standards); common in Continental European retail
- GlobalG.A.P.; covering primary production and agricultural supply
Each of these schemes has its own audit structure, grading system, and areas of focus. GFSI recognition means they all meet an agreed baseline of rigour; they are not identical, and the right scheme for a given supplier depends on the markets they serve and the customers they supply. The table below summarises the key differences at a glance.
| Scheme | Full name | Region | Audit type | Grading | Industry relevance |
| BRCGS | British Retail Consortium Global Standards | UK, Europe, global | On-site audit | AA, A, B, C, D | Food manufacturing, retail supply chains |
| FSSC 22000 | Food Safety System Certification 22000 | Global | On-site audit | Pass / Fail | Food and beverage manufacturing |
| SQF | Safe Quality Food | North America | On-site audit | Level 1, 2, 3 | Food manufacturing, retail, food service |
| IFS Food | International Featured Standards Food | Europe | On-site audit, scored | Score 0-100% | Retail supply chains, Continental Europe |
| GlobalG.A.P. | Global Good Agricultural Practice | Global | On-farm audit | Option 1 / Option 2 | Fresh produce, horticulture, livestock |
| ISO 22000* | Food Safety Management Systems | Global | Third-party audit | Pass / Fail | Broad food chain (not GFSI-recognised) |
Note: ISO 22000 is included for reference only. It is not itself GFSI-recognised; FSSC 22000, which builds on ISO 22000, is the GFSI-recognised scheme.
The “Once Certified, Accepted Everywhere” Principle
One of GFSI’s founding ambitions was to reduce the duplication of supplier audits by establishing mutual recognition across the food industry. The principle; once certified under a GFSI-recognised scheme, accepted by all buyers who require GFSI recognition, was intended to significantly reduce the audit burden on manufacturers and suppliers.
In practice, the picture is more complex. Many major retailers and manufacturers do accept any GFSI-recognised scheme as sufficient, and this has reduced duplication meaningfully across global supply chains. However, some customers specify a particular scheme by name; a retailer may require BRCGS specifically, or a manufacturer may require FSSC 22000 from their ingredient suppliers. In these cases, holding a certificate under a different GFSI-recognised scheme may not be sufficient.
For sourcing teams, the practical implication is to check not only whether a supplier holds GFSI-recognised certification, but whether the specific scheme they hold is acceptable to the relevant customer or retailer.
GFSI Recognition vs Individual Scheme Requirements
Because GFSI recognition establishes a common baseline, it is sometimes assumed that all recognised schemes are interchangeable. They are not, and this matters when managing supplier approvals across different customers and markets.
BRCGS, for example, uses a graded audit system with ratings from AA through to D, and many UK retailers specify a minimum grade as part of their supplier approval process. FSSC 22000, by contrast, is a pass or fail certification with no equivalent grading structure. SQF operates across three levels, each covering a different scope of food safety and quality management.
A supplier holding SQF Level 2 certification and a supplier holding BRCGS Grade A certification are both certified under GFSI-recognised schemes; the level of scrutiny applied and the scope of the audit may differ considerably. Buyers should understand the scheme their suppliers hold and what that scheme covers, rather than treating GFSI recognition as a uniform guarantee of equivalence.
What GFSI Recognition Does Not Cover
GFSI recognition applies to the scheme itself, not to every product or process a certified supplier operates. A certificate issued under a GFSI-recognised scheme will specify a scope; the sites, processes, and product categories covered by that audit. Activity outside that scope is not covered by the certificate, even if the supplier holds valid GFSI-recognised certification.
This matters more than it might appear. A supplier operating three manufacturing sites may hold FSSC 22000 certification at two of them while the third remains uncertified. If your ingredient is produced at the uncertified site, the certification your supplier holds elsewhere provides no assurance for that specific supply. The certificate covers the site; it does not cover the company.
When reviewing a supplier’s certification, always confirm which specific sites and processes are covered by the certificate, and verify that the site producing your ingredient is included within that scope.
GFSI recognition also does not cover ethical sourcing, environmental standards, or social compliance. Buyers managing requirements in those areas will need to assess them through separate frameworks.
Maintaining GFSI Assurance Across Your Supply Chain
One of the most frequently overlooked aspects of GFSI certification is that it applies to individual parties in a supply chain, not to the chain as a whole. A certified manufacturer and a certified buyer do not automatically create a certified supply chain between them. Every link in the chain needs to be considered independently.
Consider a straightforward scenario: a food manufacturer holds BRCGS Food Safety certification at AA grade. Their ingredient supplier holds FSSC 22000 certification. However, the ingredient passes through a broker or trading company before reaching the manufacturer, and that broker holds no food safety certification. The GFSI assurance is effectively broken at that point. The broker is handling certified product without operating under any equivalent standard, and the buyer has no independent verification of what happens to the ingredient in transit or in storage at the broker’s premises.
This is not an unusual situation. Brokers, agents, and trading companies frequently operate between manufacturers and buyers, and certification requirements for those parties vary considerably depending on the scheme involved.
Most of the major GFSI-recognised schemes address this through separate certification modules for agents and brokers, though the provision is not consistent across all schemes. BRCGS offers its Agents and Brokers certification for companies that trade in food products without operating a manufacturing or storage site. IFS offers IFS Broker certification covering trading companies. FSSC 22000, by contrast, does not have an equivalent broker-specific module; its certification framework applies to manufacturing, processing, and storage sites.
The table below summarises broker and agent certification availability across the main GFSI-recognised schemes.
| Scheme | Broker / agent certification | Notes |
| BRCGS | BRCGS Agents and Brokers | Yes; separate certificate available for agents and brokers who do not own or operate manufacturing sites |
| FSSC 22000 | No equivalent | No broker-specific certification module; FSSC 22000 applies to manufacturing and processing sites only |
| IFS Food | IFS Broker | Yes; IFS Broker certification covers trading companies and brokers handling food products |
| SQF | No equivalent | No dedicated broker module; SQF certification applies to production and storage facilities |
| GlobalG.A.P. | Chain of Custody (CoC) | Yes; CoC certification covers traders and packers handling GlobalG.A.P.-certified produce |
Scheme provisions are subject to change. Always verify current certification requirements directly with the relevant scheme owner.
For buyers where supply chain integrity is a genuine requirement; whether driven by retailer specifications, customer contracts, or internal quality standards, the practical approach is to map every party handling your ingredient from the manufacturing site through to delivery, and confirm whether each party holds relevant certification. Where a party does not, assess whether that represents an acceptable gap or a risk that needs to be managed through alternative means such as additional audit requirements or supplier declarations.
Holding GFSI-recognised certification yourself does not mean your supply chain is GFSI-compliant. If supply chain certification continuity matters to your business or your customers, it needs to be actively managed and verified at each stage.
Why GFSI Matters to Ingredient Buyers
For anyone sourcing ingredients, GFSI recognition functions as a practical shorthand for quality assurance. It answers a fundamental question in supplier approval: has this supplier’s food safety management been independently assessed to a credible standard?
The value of the GFSI framework is that it creates a common language across global supply chains. A UK manufacturer sourcing from a European, Asian, or North American supplier can look for GFSI-recognised certification and have reasonable confidence that a meaningful level of scrutiny has been applied; without needing to assess each scheme individually.
This is particularly relevant when approving new suppliers where internal audit capacity is limited, when managing risk across multi-region supply chains, when meeting retailer or customer requirements that specify GFSI-recognised certification, and when demonstrating due diligence in the event of a food safety incident.
GFSI recognition is not the only measure of a supplier’s food safety credentials. Buyers should still review audit grades, the scope of certification, and any conditions or non-conformances noted in reports. GFSI recognition sets the floor; it does not remove the need for active supplier management.
A Practical Note for Sourcing Teams
When evaluating a supplier’s food safety documentation, the key questions to work through are whether the supplier holds a current certificate under a GFSI-recognised scheme, whether the scope of that certification covers the products and processes relevant to your needs, what grade or rating was achieved and whether any conditions were applied, and when the last audit took place and when the next one is due.
GFSI recognition addresses the first of those questions. The remainder require reviewing the certificate directly and, where relevant, the audit report itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
GFSI certification is not a legal requirement in any market. It is, however, a commercial requirement for many food manufacturers and retailers, who specify GFSI-recognised certification as part of their supplier approval process. In practice, suppliers operating within major retail or food service supply chains will frequently encounter it as a condition of doing business.
HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) is a food safety management methodology based on identifying and controlling hazards within a food production process. GFSI is a benchmarking body that recognises food safety certification schemes. Most GFSI-recognised schemes require HACCP to be implemented as a foundational element; the two operate at different levels, with HACCP providing the underlying methodology and GFSI providing the framework within which schemes incorporating that methodology are assessed.
HACCP is a methodology rather than a certification scheme, so it does not sit within the GFSI recognition framework in the same way that BRCGS or FSSC 22000 do. However, HACCP principles are a required component of all GFSI-recognised schemes. A supplier certified under any GFSI-recognised scheme will have HACCP implemented as part of their food safety management system.
FSSC 22000 is a food safety certification scheme that is recognised by GFSI. GFSI is the benchmarking body that assessed FSSC 22000 and determined it meets the criteria for recognition. A supplier certified to FSSC 22000 holds a certificate issued by an accredited certification body; GFSI’s role is to have validated that the FSSC 22000 scheme itself is sufficiently robust.
SQF (Safe Quality Food) is a GFSI-recognised certification scheme; the two are not the same. GFSI is the benchmarking organisation; SQF is one of several schemes that has achieved GFSI recognition. Suppliers certified to SQF Level 2 or above hold certification under a GFSI-recognised scheme.
IFS Food is a GFSI-recognised certification scheme. It is widely used in Continental European retail supply chains, particularly in Germany and France. Suppliers certified to IFS Food hold certification under a scheme that meets GFSI’s benchmarking criteria.
ISO 22000 is an international food safety management standard but is not itself a GFSI-recognised certification scheme. FSSC 22000, which is built on ISO 22000 and incorporates additional sector-specific prerequisite requirements, is GFSI-recognised. Buyers requiring GFSI-recognised certification should look for FSSC 22000 rather than ISO 22000 alone.
There is no single universally agreed hierarchy of food safety certifications. Within the GFSI framework, all recognised schemes meet the same baseline criteria, though they differ in scope and structure. Within individual schemes, grade or level distinctions apply; BRCGS, for example, uses a graded system where AA represents the highest audit outcome. The most appropriate certification for a given supplier depends on the markets they serve and the customers they supply.
Summary
GFSI is a benchmarking body that recognises food safety certification schemes meeting its requirements; including BRCGS, FSSC 22000, SQF, IFS Food, and GlobalG.A.P. A supplier certified under any of these holds credentials assessed against a common global standard.
For ingredient buyers and sourcing teams, GFSI recognition is a useful and practical tool for supplier evaluation. It provides assurance that independent scrutiny has been applied and creates a consistent framework for managing food safety across complex, international supply chains. Used alongside a clear understanding of scheme scope, audit grades, and individual customer requirements, it forms a solid foundation for confident sourcing decisions.
