GFSI Standards Compared: Which One for Your Export Market?

What is GFSI, and what does "GFSI-recognised" mean?

GFSI (the Global Food Safety Initiative) publishes no standard and certifies no company. It benchmarks certification programmes against its own requirements and recognises those that meet all of them. A "GFSI-recognised certificate" is a certificate issued under one of those programmes.

GFSI describes itself as an Industry Solution of The Consumer Goods Forum, which brings together retailers and manufacturers. Its page of recognised programmes is explicit: the benchmarking requirements are not a food safety standard, and no business can be audited or certified against them.

Recognition is earned programme by programme. GFSI checks every requirement, for the programme’s governance as well as for the content of its standard, with a public stakeholder consultation, and recognises the programme for the scopes it applied for.

GFSI’s motto is "Once certified, recognised everywhere." It describes an aim, fewer duplicate audits, not an obligation on any buyer to accept any certificate.

Recognition is per standard, per version and per scope

"BRCGS is GFSI-recognised" is too short a sentence. The GFSI page lists, for each owner, the recognised standards, their versions and their scopes, and for some BRCGS standards even the audit programmes covered. Three examples from official sources:

• CanadaGAP flags on its own site that some of its certification options are GFSI-recognised and others are not;
• GLOBALG.A.P. publishes IFA v6 in two editions, Smart and GFS, and only the GFS edition is designed for producers who need GFSI recognition;
• FSSC 22000 version 6 is listed for scopes BIII, C0, CI to CIV, D, G, I and K; the GFSI page does not list catering, retail or brokerage for it, even though the FSSC scheme has categories for those activities.

Two versions of the benchmarking requirements

GFSI now separates programmes recognised against version 2020 of its requirements from those recognised against version 2024. CanadaGAP and JFS-C are already on the 2024 list. The other owners have submitted their new versions, which GFSI lists as undergoing benchmarking against version 2024.

A separate route called Technical Equivalence, for government-owned standards, is being phased out and no longer accepts new applications, according to GFSI. For an African exporter, the choice is therefore between the twelve recognised private programmes.

Which 12 programmes does GFSI recognise in 2026?

GFSI’s official page, checked on 4 November 2026, lists twelve programme owners. Scopes are GFSI’s; versions follow ACG’s standards registry, with any gap from the GFSI page noted.

For programmes our registry does not track, the recognised version is read on the GFSI page, line by line, and confirmed with the scheme owner and the certification body before the gap analysis.

For SQF, the GFSI page also cites scope I (production of food packaging), run together with the CII line by a formatting error: if your buyer requires that scope, check it on the certificate issued by the certification body.

How to read the scope codes: AI farming of animals, AII farming of fish and seafood; BI farming of plants, BII grains and pulses, BIII pre-process handling of plant products; C0 animal conversion, CI perishable animal products, CII perishable plant products, CIII perishable mixed products, CIV ambient-stable products; D feed; FI retail and wholesale; FII broker and agent; G storage and distribution; I food packaging; K biochemicals, additives and bio-cultures.

Three families of programmes

BRCGS, IFS, FSSC 22000 and SQF are the general factory standards: all four cover processing from C0 to CIV and, depending on the programme, packaging, logistics or trading. IFS was created by the German (HDE) and French (FCD) retail federations, according to the official IFS Food version 8 text. SQF organises its requirements into sector codes: SQFI states that Edition 10 has ten industry-specific codes.

GLOBALG.A.P., PrimusGFS, CanadaGAP and Freshcare serve primary production and fresh produce first. GLOBALG.A.P. publishes Integrated Farm Assurance v6 as Smart, which suits most producers, and GFS, designed for those who need GFSI recognition; GLOBALG.A.P. adds that buyer requirements determine which edition a producer implements. The GRASP add-on, on workers’ health, safety and welfare, sits outside GFSI recognition.

Global Red Meat Standard, Global Seafood Alliance, GRMA and JFS-C are sector programmes: red meat, seafood processing, dietary supplements and food processing in Japan.

Which GFSI scope fits your site?

Start from what your site physically does to the product, not from your sector’s name. The table matches common activities in Morocco and across Africa with the programmes GFSI lists for each scope.

One site often falls under several lines: a cannery that also makes cans for third parties falls under CI and I. The certification scope is agreed with the certification body before the audit.

BRCGS vs IFS vs FSSC 22000: what really differs?

All three share a foundation: HACCP, prerequisite programmes, traceability, allergens, fraud, food safety culture. What changes is the audit logic and how the result reads.

Two practical consequences. The ISO structure of FSSC 22000 helps a site that also targets ISO 9001:2026 or ISO 14001:2026. BRCGS grades and IFS scores are visible to your customers: a buyer can require a minimum result, not just a certificate.

Which standard for which export market?

Markets do not choose; buyers do. Two retailers in the same country may require two different standards, and a manufacturer may impose its own on every supplier, whatever the country. Be wary of any rule such as "country X requires standard Y" that does not point to the supplier requirements of the buyer concerned.

Where a programme comes from, shown in the table of twelve, only tells you where you are likely to meet it first. It helps you prepare the commercial conversation. It is never a requirement in itself.

Read the supplier requirements line by line

The accepted standards are almost always listed in the buyer’s supplier manual or code of practice.

Decide, then check

When several standards qualify, decide in this order: your site’s scope, your other customers’ requirements, your organisation (an ISO structure already in place, for instance) and the savings of a common foundation. GFSI certification also adds to regulation and does not replace it. In Morocco, ONSSA sanitary approval remains the prerequisite for any project, and the destination country applies its own import rules.

For buyers: how do you qualify an African supplier?

A certificate is evidence, not a guarantee of fit. When an importer or a brand owner in Europe or the Middle East sources from Africa, the checks are the same whatever the programme.

• Find the certificate in the programme owner’s public database: BRCGS lists certified sites in its Directory, FSSC keeps a public register, IFS has its own database.
• Compare the standard and version with your requirements, especially during transitions (FSSC 22000 v6 to v7, SQF Edition 9 to 10).
• Check that the certified scope covers the products and the site you actually buy from, not just the company name.
• Note the audit programme (announced or unannounced) and, for BRCGS and IFS, the grade or level.
• Check the expiry date against your contract and delivery calendar.

When you need more than a certificate, for example a check against your own specifications, a new supplier with no certificate yet or a co-packer, a second-party supplier audit fills the gap. ACG carries out these audits for buyers across Africa; see our audits and inspections.

Are entry-level programmes GFSI-recognised?

No. They exist to prepare for certification, not to replace it.

• BRCGS START! has two levels, Basic and Intermediate, presented by BRCGS as a path towards Food Safety Issue 9. As of 5 November 2026, it appears neither on GFSI’s page of recognised programmes nor on the page of programmes undergoing benchmarking, and the official START! page claims no GFSI recognition.
• IFS Progress replaced the name IFS Global Markets without changing the programmes’ content, according to IFS. It is a two-level assessment, not a certificate.
• SQF publishes "Fundamentals" codes for primary production and manufacturing; the GFSI page only lists the level 2 food safety codes.
• CanadaGAP shows on its site which certification options are GFSI-recognised and which are not.

Before taking this route, ask your buyer in writing whether it accepts the intermediate step, and for how long.

What happens when a standard changes version?

The programme owner sets the date from which its audits follow the new version. GFSI recognition of that version runs on its own timetable. For a while, the two may not match.

SQFI’s Edition 10 FAQ states that Edition 9 remains the only GFSI-recognised SQF programme until Edition 10 is recognised. The FSSC Foundation states that Version 7 is still being benchmarked. If your audit falls during a transition, ask your buyer in advance whether it accepts the new version before GFSI recognition.

Choosing your standard: the checklist

Go through these points with your sales director and quality manager before booking an audit.

• Each current and target customer has stated in writing the standard, version and audit programme it accepts.
  
• Any minimum grade or level is known.
  
• The site’s activities are mapped to one or more GFSI scopes.
  
• The chosen programme is listed by GFSI for those scopes, in the version that will be audited.
  
• Local sanitary approval (ONSSA in Morocco) covers the whole intended scope.
  
• Transition deadlines (new version, GFSI recognition) are in the project calendar.
  
• A certification body approved or licensed for the programme has been consulted.
  
• An internal project lead and a deputy are named, with protected time.
  

If more than three boxes are empty, start with a gap analysis, not with a certification body.

Can you hold several GFSI standards without starting over?

Yes, if you plan for it from day one. HACCP, prerequisite programmes, traceability, allergens, fraud and culture are built once; the audit protocol, the scoring and the specific requirements (BRCGS fundamentals, IFS KO requirements, FSSC additional requirements) stay separate. Each audit remains a full audit against its own standard.

For a packaging manufacturer, see also BRCGS Packaging Materials. For the wider picture of HACCP, ISO 22000 and GFSI programmes, see our food safety consulting.