Templates and records · IFS Food · Clause 4.4

IFS Food supplier evaluation and approval

The decision on whom you buy from, and the periodic review of whether that is still a good idea, with criteria that depend on the risk of what they supply.

In one sentence

In IFS Food, supplier evaluation is the procedure and record by which each supplier of raw materials, packaging and services is approved against risk-based criteria — certification, audit, questionnaire, history — and periodically re-evaluated on its actual performance, as clause 4.4 of the standard requires.

Content reviewed on 17 October 2026

Where the standard requires it: IFS Food · Clause 4.4 Clause references follow the numbering of IFS Food Version 8. Where a record underpins a KO requirement, its sheet says so.
Type of information: Mandatory record Record to be retained (4.4)
Who fills it in: Purchasing with quality Final approval usually rests with quality where the food safety risk is significant
When: Before the first purchase and periodically The company sets the re-evaluation frequency according to risk; also after a serious incident
How long it is kept: Shelf life plus one year, at least IFS Food requires records to be kept in line with legislation and for at least one year after the specified shelf life; if the product has none, the period must be justified (2.1.2).

What the standard requires

What IFS Food demands and what it leaves to your judgement

IFS requires a documented procedure for approving and monitoring suppliers that takes into account the risk of each raw material, packaging material or service. The criteria can include recognised certifications, supplier audits, questionnaires or testing, but they have to be defined and applied.

Re-evaluation takes place at intervals set by the company and must be based on data: goods-in rejections, complaints, test results, delivery performance. A supplier approved years ago and never reviewed is a frequent finding.

Services that affect food safety — pest control, external cleaning, laboratory, transport — also fall within scope. For agents and brokers, you need to know who actually manufactures the product.

Read it in context: Planning and production process, in the IFS Food Academy

Structure

Fields the template should include

Supplier, products or services supplied and the actual manufacturer if it is an intermediary
Risk level assigned and criterion used
Current certification (IFS, BRCGS, FSSC or other) and expiry date
Result of questionnaire, audit or incoming testing
Approval decision, conditions and who approves
Performance indicators: rejections, complaints, delays
Date of the last and next re-evaluation

Example

Example: annual re-evaluation of a fictitious spice supplier

Company, people and figures are fictitious: the example only shows what a properly completed record looks like.

Field	Content
Supplier	Eastern Spice Co. (fictitious) · paprika and cumin
Risk	High: adulteration fraud and mycotoxin contamination
Certification	IFS Food v8, valid until November 2026
Performance 2025-2026	42 deliveries · 1 rejection for moisture · 0 complaints
Testing	2 aflatoxin tests commissioned by the company: conforming
Decision	Approved · six-monthly authenticity test maintained
Approved by	Quality manager · 18 September 2026
Next review	September 2027, or sooner if the certificate expires

At the audit

Mistakes auditors commonly flag

Every supplier under the same level of control, unrelated to the risk of what they supply.
Expired supplier certificates in the folder while purchasing carries on regardless.
Re-evaluations that only change the date, with no performance data.
External pest control or laboratory services left out of the evaluation.
Buying from a distributor without knowing who the manufacturer is.

In Kimobox

How this record is kept in Kimobox

1Each supplier has its own record in the supplier portal, with the mandatory documentation and its expiry dates.
2The supplier uploads its certificates and data sheets; the system warns before they expire and blocks the supplier if something essential lapses.
3Ongoing evaluation is fed by goods-in rejections and nonconformities raised against the supplier.
4The periodic re-evaluation is recorded with its decision, who approved it and the date of the next one.

Frequently asked questions

What people ask us before getting started

Is it enough for the supplier to be IFS or BRCGS certified?

It is a sound criterion, but IFS requires the evaluation to consider the specific risk of each raw material. A certified supplier may need additional testing if what they supply is vulnerable to fraud or contaminants.

How often should suppliers be re-evaluated?

The standard leaves the frequency to the company, provided it is defined and consistent with the risk. An annual review with performance data is usual for critical raw materials.

Are service providers included?

Yes, where their work can affect product safety or quality: pest control, cleaning, laboratories, external maintenance or transport.

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Sources

Where each figure comes from

References to the official text in force. If a standard is revised, this page is updated and the review date says so.

IFS Food Version 8 — Standard for auditing product and process compliance in relation to food safety and quality IFS Management GmbH · Version 8, April 2023
Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs EUR-Lex · 29 April 2004