Why Schemes Differ
Food safety standards have converged on the same principles โ preventive control, documented process monitoring, traceability โ but different markets recognise different schemes, and a retailer may require one that its competitors do not. For a producer, the practical question is not which scheme is preferable but which one the destination market accepts, and what evidence an auditor will expect to see on the day.
Commonly Recognised Standards
- FSSC 22000: Global standard based on ISO 22000 and ISO/TS 22002-1. Accepted by GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative)
- BRC: British Retail Consortium standard, widely required in UK and European retail
- IFS: International Featured Standards, common in German and French retail
- SQF: Safe Quality Food standard, primarily used in North America
These schemes share a common structure: prerequisite programmes covering hygiene and maintenance, a hazard analysis with identified critical control points, monitored limits, corrective actions, and records showing the system was followed.
What Auditors Look For at the Equipment
- Surfaces that are smooth, cleanable and resistant to the product and to the cleaning agents in use.
- Construction that drains freely, avoids crevices, and does not create places where residue or moisture can collect.
- Contact materials suitable for food use, with documentation available to support that.
- Instrumentation that can be calibrated, and sensors that can be verified against a reference.
- Batch records โ temperatures, times and operator entries โ that can be traced to a specific production run.
Design and Compliance
Our equipment is designed to meet the hygiene and process control requirements of these standards. In practice this means cleanable internal surfaces, accessible drain paths, measurement points that reflect the product rather than the surrounding air, and controls that record what happened without depending on manual notes. Temperature logging is built into the machine rather than added afterwards, so the data an auditor asks for already exists.
Working with Your Certification Body
Compliance is demonstrated by the operator's food safety management system, not by a single piece of equipment. The equipment supports that system by making hygiene, monitoring and documentation straightforward. Validation protocols, sampling plans and record formats should be agreed with the certification body early, so that installation and commissioning generate the evidence the scheme requires.