General description of the certification process
The management system certification procedure for IFS Food standards is as follows.
The steps below represent the process at a general level.

Request a quote for certification
Certification agreement
Audit planning
Conducting an audit
Certification decision
Positive Negative
Certificate issue
Request a quote for certification
The purpose of this activity is to identify the client's needs, assess the possibility of providing the service by the certification body, and prepare an appropriate offer for certification and maintaining certification for a given management system. They include the following activities:
– contact with the client of a Grand Cert representative or a client from Grand Cert
– filling out by the client an application appropriate for a given management system called "Inquiry form" (download
here).
– Review of the application by Grand Cert.

Certification offer (Grand Cert)
Preparation by Grand Cert of an offer for certification called "OFFER" and sending it to the client for approval by email.
The certification offer presents the terms and conditions of the certification process.

Certification agreement
After accepting the offer by the client, Grand Cert prepares and sends a contract for certification, the so-called Order form.

Audit planning
Appointment of auditors and setting an appointment with the client

Conducting the audit - Certification audit
An important factor is passing the certification audit for IFS Food. At the appointed time, the Auditor visits the company during the certification audit and conducts an assessment in accordance with the criteria necessary for certification.
The result of the audit is documented in the report. Detected discrepancies are documented and sent to the organization in writing in the form of the so-called "Action plan".
The chief auditor prepares the audit report while coordinating the corrective action plan with the client. Following the IFS audit, the Organization shall submit a corrective action plan to the certifying body within 14 days of receipt of the initial report and draw up an action plan. The lead auditor, at the request of the certification body, reviews the corrections and corrective actions proposed by the organization on the basis of the submitted audit documents.

Certification decision – Decision to grant/refuse/maintain certification
The auditor delivers the report to the certification body for final verification. The report is accepted, the President of the Management Board of the certification body decides to issue a certificate.

Certificate issue
The approved report and the Management System Certificate as a document confirming the granting of certification is delivered to the Client.
The date of granting the certificate is the date of making the certification decision.

ATTENTION :

Grand Cert Sp.z O.O. reserves the right to refuse to provide audit (certification) services if there is a risk of loss of impartiality, any risk to the audit staff, or if GRAND CERT Sp. z O.O. does not have the appropriate scope of accreditation.

Grand Cert Sp.z O.O. does not conduct certification audits if the client belongs to the list of entities (the list of residents and persons associated with the aggressor state) that are subject to the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated 03.03.2022 No. 187 "On ensuring the protection of national interests in future claims of the state of Ukraine in connection with the military aggression of the Russian Federation" and the Law of Ukraine "On the Basic Principles of Forced Expropriation in Ukraine of Objects of Property of the Russian Federation and its Residents" dated 03.03.2022 No. 2116-IX;