GFSI certification is now seen as the top choice in the food industry, making it easier to work with retailers, distributors, and buyers. Still, many businesses have these questions: What does GFSI certification truly mean? What are the costs? What does the path to certification look like?
This guide answers these questions and gives you clear advice on GFSI compliance to help your organization succeed.
What is Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI)
GFSI stands for Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI). It is a collaboration of international food industry stakeholders whose commitment rests on the improvement of food safety globally.
GFSI works differently from traditional certification bodies.
It does not issue certificates or audit businesses. Instead, it reviews and compares food safety standards. These include SQF, BRCGS, FSSC 22000, IFS, GlobalG.A.P., and PrimusGFS. It makes sure they meet its strict requirements. Once these standards are approved, they are recognized as GFSI-compliant.
Companies can then become “GFSI certified” by getting certified through one of these approved programs.
Purpose of GFSI
The Consumer Goods Forum created GFSI in 2000 to set the standard for a strong, globally recognized system for managing food safety.
GFSI aims to align food safety standards around the world and build trust among suppliers, retailers, manufacturers, and regulators. Today, many large retailers and global brands ask their suppliers to get certified under a GFSI-recognized scheme. This is precisely because it offers:
- Better control of hazards
- Consistent food safety practices
- More transparency throughout the supply chain
- Reliable product quality and a lower risk of recalls
GFSI’s benchmarking model has made it a major influence in modern food safety. It urges companies to keep getting better, put preventive controls in place, and stick to consistent standards.
How GFSI Works
To understand how GFSI works, it is essential to first clarify the meaning of GFSI certification. GFSI does not give out certificates, perform audits, or certify companies. Instead, it acts as a system that reviews and compares food safety standards. In turn, this makes sure they meet global requirements for managing food safety.
It Benchmarks Food Safety Standards
GFSI reviews and compares different food safety programs using its own standards. This includes:
- SQF
- BRCGS
- FSSC 22000
- IFS
- PrimusGFS
- GlobalG.A.P
Only programs that meet GFSI’s requirements are recognized as GFSI-certified. So, when someone asks, “What is a GFSI certificate?”, the correct answer is:
A GFSI certificate is what you receive from one of these recognized programs, not directly from GFSI.
It Certifies Through Approved Schemes
A company gets certified by choosing one of these recognized programs and passing a third-party audit. This explains the GFSI certified meaning:
A company is GFSI certified when it passes an audit and earns certification through a food safety standard recognized by GFSI.
No matter which recognized program a company chooses, GFSI certification shows that the company meets these standards:
- Strong food safety controls
- Data-driven risk management
- Requirements for HACCP and preventive practices
- Supplier and traceability oversight
- Continuous monitoring and improvement
To build this foundation, many businesses first strengthen their HACCP plan and overall food safety system. You can learn more in this guide on how HACCP principles transform food safety management.
So what are the certification schemes of GFSI?
GFSI-Recognized Certification Schemes
GFSI does not certify companies directly. Instead, businesses gain recognition by getting certified through GFSI recognized certification programs. These programs, often called GFSI benchmarked schemes, are food safety standards that GFSI has formally evaluated and approved. Earning certification shows that a facility’s food safety management system meets global standards and can pass a thorough GFSI audit.
Many leading certification programs are used throughout the food industry because they meet GFSI requirements. The most common ones are:
SQF (Safe Quality Food) Certification
SQF certification highlights both food safety and quality. This is why it is popular among manufacturers and suppliers working together with large retailers. It has structured Levels that’s now on its 9th Edition. These levels help facilities go from basic compliance to fully developing food safety systems.
BRCGS Global Standard for Food Safety
BRCGS stands for Brand Reputation through Compliance Global Standards. It was originally developed by British retailers and is now one of the most globally recognized GFSI benchmarked schemes.
This scheme focused heavily on traceability, supplier approval, and consistent product quality. International brands around the world require BRCGS certification for its strict audit expectations.
FSSC 22000
The Food Safety System Certification 22000 is based on ISO standards. It is widely used by companies that want an internationally recognized system. It is a combination of ISO 22000, prerequisite programs (PRPs), and extra FSSC requirements thereby creating a clear, structured approach.
Additional GFSI recognized certification programs include:
- IFS Food – widely used in Europe, especially for private-label suppliers.
- PrimusGFS – common for producing growers, packers, and processors.
- GlobalG.A.P. – focused on primary production and farming.
Each of these programs has its own structure, audit style, and documentation requirements. Yet, they all meet the main expectations set by GFSI.
Benefits of GFSI Certification
Your food business could have a powerful advantage across the supply chain by becoming GFSI certified. Aside from compliance, the benefits of GFSI certification include stronger market credibility, operational reliability, and a more proactive food safety.
It is important to keep these benefits in mind when you’re choosing a GFSI certification scheme for your business.
Global Market Access & Buyer Recognition
One of the greatest benefits of GFSI certification is the global marketplace credibility it provides for businesses. This is because several retailers, food service companies, and distributors expect suppliers to be certified by GFSI recognized programs.
Being certified shows that your facility meets internationally accepted food safety standards. This reduces the need for repeat audits and helps build trust with important buyers. As a result, you can access new markets, export opportunities, and partnerships that may have been out of reach before.
Consumer Confidence, Brand Reputation & Risk Reduction (less recalls, safer products)
A GFSI certification for your food business reinforces consumer confidence. With this certification at hand, you demonstrate to the public that you manage food safety consistently and systematically. Furthermore, it reduces the chances of issues arising, such as:
- Product recalls
- Contamination incidents
- Cross-contact risks
- Supply chain gaps
When your facility passes a tough GFSI audit, your brand is seen as reliable, transparent, and accountable. Thus, helping you protect your business and in improving your public image. This is essential in a market where customers want safe, traceable products.
Operational Efficiency, Standardization, and Continuous Improvement
GFSI recognized certification programs require businesses to have structured food safety systems, keep clear records, and monitor their processes regularly. This leads to benefits such as:
- Efficient workflows
- Standardized production and handling procedures
- Better preventive controls
- Stronger internal accountability
- Fewer non-conformities during audits
- Improved traceability and better oversight of suppliers
Over time, these help reduce waste, make operations run more smoothly, and keep food safety practices up to date. This ongoing commitment to improvement is a key feature of GFSI-recognized certification programs.
How to Get GFSI Certification: Step-by-Step Process
Learning how to get GFSI certification begins with knowing that certification is granted through GFSI-recognized schemes like SQF, BRCGS, or FSSC 22000. Although each standard is a bit different, the overall GFSI certification process follows a similar pathway.
Here is a simple, practical guide to help your business get GFSI certified.
Step 1: Choose the Right GFSI-Benchmark Scheme for Your Business
First, choose a certification program that fits your facility’s operations and long-term goals. Remember to consider what your customers expect. The program you pick will impact your GFSI certification cost, paperwork, and overall GFSI certification time. This is due to some schemes being more prescriptive and intense on audits.
Key considerations include the following:
- customer/retailer requirements (many specify SQF or BRCGS)
- industry segment (processing, farming, packing, manufacturing, logistics)
- level of documentation required
- the complexity and structure of the standard
Example: You own a small juice factory and want to sell your products to a big supermarket. The store asks for SQF certification, which is well-known in North America and covers food safety and quality. If you choose SQF as your GFSI-benchmarked scheme, you will know what the audit includes.
This method helps lower costs and saves time by focusing only on what your customers are likely to accept.
Step 2: Train Staff and Build Internal Food Safety Management Systems
To meet GFSI certification requirements, your company should set up a formal Food Safety Management System (FSMS). This system usually includes:
- SOPs and work instructions
- HACCP or HARPC plan
- Prerequisite programs (GMPs, sanitation, pest control, allergen management)
- Traceability and recall procedures
- Supplier approval and monitoring
- Employee training
- Internal communications and oversight mechanisms
Training is important. This is because your staff should know how to follow procedures and why they are important to keep food safe.
Example: You own a small chocolate factory. Here are some steps to help you prepare for certification:
- Write clear instructions for cleaning equipment after every production run.
- Put a HACCP plan in place to manage key steps, such as keeping the right chocolate tempering temperature and proper storage.
- Set up basic programs, like weekly cleaning checks, pest control agreements, and ways to keep allergens separate.
- Set up a system that lets you track each batch of chocolate all the way back to the cocoa beans it came from.
- Work only with suppliers who meet your quality standards, and stay in regular contact with them.
- Show your team how to practice good hygiene, check temperatures, and keep records. Make sure they understand why each step matters for safety.
- Hold regular team meetings to talk about food safety and solve any problems that come up.
When you do all this, your staff learn both how and why things are done.
Step 3: Internal Audit & Gap Analysis
Most companies begin by doing an internal audit or gap assessment before they arrange for a third-party audit. This helps them see how ready they are and spot any areas that need improvement, such as:
- Missing documents
- Weak processes
- Non-conformities
- Areas needing corrective action
A strict internal audit cuts the GFSI certification time. It does this by ensuring your facility is prepared and minimizing the risk of major non-conformities during the official audit.
Example: Picture a small bakery getting ready for SQF certification. Before the official audit, the quality team does an internal check and finds the following issues:
- Some cleaning logs are missing or incomplete.
- The team does not always follow the allergen handling procedure.
- Sometimes, staff skip recording oven temperatures.
- Supplier approval forms have not been updated.
The team addresses these issues by adding missing records, retraining staff, updating procedures, and fixing supplier files. When the third-party auditor visits, the bakery passes with only a few minor issues. Doing this internal audit helps the bakery get certified faster and increases the chance of passing the first time.
Step 4: Engage an Accredited Certification Body & Undergo Third-Party Audit
When you are ready, reach out to an accredited certification body (CB) that can audit your chosen GFSI-recognized scheme. The CB will then check your documents, visit your facility, and decide if your food safety system meets the requirements.
This stage include the following actions from your CB:
- Document review
- Onsite audit (announced or unannounced, depending on scheme rules)
- Interview with staff
- Verification of implementation
- Closure of corrective actions
- Audit scoring or grading (scheme-dependent)
Once all of the requirements are met, the CB issues your certificate. Your business then becomes officially GFSI certified.
It is important to note, however, that GFSI certification cost varies widely. The cost depends on your facility’s size, the scheme you select, and how long the audit takes. You may also need to budget for auditor fees, preparation, training, and any corrective actions.
Example: Suppose you run a small fruit packing facility and want to earn FSSC 22000 certification. After you complete your internal audits and address any problems, here is what you should do next:
- Reach out to a certification body that is accredited to conduct FSSC 22000 audits.
- The certification body starts by reviewing your documents.
- An auditor then comes to your facility for an onsite audit. They check your storage areas, production lines, and pest control measures.
- The auditor also talks with your staff to make sure everyone understands and follows the procedures.
- If the auditor finds a few minor issues, they will ask you to submit corrective actions. You take care of these right away.
- Once the certification body reviews your corrections, they approve your facility and give you the official GFSI certificate.
By completing these steps, your facility becomes GFSI certified.
Step 5: Maintain Compliance and Plan for Recertification
Certification is not something you achieve just once. Most programs require yearly audits or full recertification every 12 months. To stay compliant, you need to:
- Continue monitoring of food safety controls
- Update training
- Perform corrective actions
- Do annual internal audits
- Keep documentation current
- Maintain ongoing review of changes in standards
Good maintenance practices lower the chance of problems in the next audit. It also helps teams keep up with changing food safety rules.
Example: Picture your small juice facility earning SQF certification. Here’s how you can keep it:
- Set up monthly internal audits to make sure everyone follows your SOPs and HACCP controls.
- Give your staff refresher training every six months on hygiene, allergen handling, and traceability.
- Keep supplier records up to date and check new suppliers before you approve them.
- If something goes wrong, such as missing a temperature check, record it and fix it right away.
- Get ready for your yearly audit by reviewing your records and making sure all documents are complete and current.
When you stick to these steps, your facility stays GFSI compliant, avoids problems, and is always ready for recertification. Staying compliant means you keep your certification benefits, like buyer trust, smoother operations, and safer products for your customers.
Cost and Time: What to Expect
Your GFSI certification cost varies depending on different factors. This includes the scheme you choose, the size of your facility, and your internal readiness. Although each organization is unique, most deal with similar cost categories and timelines.
Typical Cost Components
The cost of getting certified typically has four main parts:
- Audit Fees
You pay these fees directly to the accredited certification body (CB), and they usually include the following:
- The daily rates for auditors
- Travel and accommodation costs
- Fees for reporting and issuing certificates
- Charges for follow-up or checking corrective actions
Audit fees are often the biggest single expense.
- Consulting and Training Costs (Optional)
Many businesses, particularly those new to structured food safety systems, choose to hire global food safety consultants. They help with the following tasks:
- Building HACCP plans
- Writing SOPs and prerequisite programs
- Performing gap analyses
- Preparing documentation and records
- Training staff
- Coaching teams for the certification audit
Consultants can help you prepare faster and lower your risk. However, they will increase your overall costs.
- Internal Resource Allocation
Even if you do not hire outside consultants, internal time and labor costs can add up quickly:
- Staff training
- Creating documentation
- Internal audits
- Corrective actions
- Management review
- Process improvements
Many people overlook these costs. Yet, they are key to staying compliant over time.
- Implementation Upgrades
What you need to invest in will depend on the current state of your facility. You might need things like:
- Equipment upgrades
- Sanitation improvements
- Facility repairs
- Monitoring tools
- Traceability or digital documentation systems
You may not need all of these upgrades, but many facilities make them when getting ready for their first GFSI audit.
Estimated Price Ranges
Prices can differ, but these are the usual ranges you’ll see in the industry:
- Audit Fees:
$5,000 to $20,000 or more per audit, depending on the scheme, facility size, and how long the audit takes.
- Consulting & Training:
$3,000 to $50,000 or more, depending on the scope and how long the work lasts.
- Internal Costs:
$1,000 to $15,000 or more, which covers things like training hours, time spent on documentation, and corrective actions.
- Facility / Equipment Upgrades:
Costs can be small or quite large, depending on your current setup.
These price ranges apply to well-known GFSI-recognized programs such as SQF, BRCGS, and FSSC 22000.
Timeframe
How long the process takes depends on how developed your food safety system is at the start.
Here are some typical timelines:
- If your company already has a food safety management system (FSMS): 3–6 months to prepare for certification.
- If you are beginning with no prior preparation:
- It can take 6 to 12 months or more, especially if major upgrades are required.
- The audit and certification process involves the following steps:
- How long you need to prepare will depend on your specific circumstances.
- The audit itself typically lasts between 2 and 5 days.
- You will have 15 to 60 days to complete any corrective actions.
- Certificate issuance: 1–4 weeks after closing non-conformities
For most GFSI-benchmarked schemes, recertification is required every 12 months.
Which Types of Food Businesses Should Consider GFSI Certification
GFSI certification helps any business that produces, handles, or distributes food. Since major retailers and global buyers use GFSI-benchmarked schemes to check supplier safety, getting certified is beneficial. It can boost your credibility, make audits easier, and help you reach new markets.
Here are the types of food businesses that most benefit from entering the GFSI certification process.
Food Manufacturers, Processors, Packagers, Distributors, and Exporters
GFSI certification matters most for businesses that have a direct impact on food safety, quality, and traceability, including:
- Food and beverage manufacturers
- Ingredient or raw material processors
- Packagers and co-packers
- Cold storage and warehousing providers
- Distributors, logistics companies, and transporters
- Importers and exporters
- Private-label suppliers serving major retailers
These businesses often deal with strict supply chain rules. A GFSI audit helps them keep retailer approval, reduce customer inspections, and show they meet global food safety standards.
To get GFSI certified, companies in these fields usually need solid documentation, good prerequisite programs, and reliable traceability systems.
Small or Medium Enterprises
Small and medium-sized food businesses can work toward GFSI certification, which many retailers recommend. If you are worried about costs or resources, there are simple ways to begin:
- Start with a simpler version of a scheme, like SQF Fundamentals.
- Work with consultants to help with documentation and training.
- Use digital tools to keep records and prepare for audits.
- Move step by step from basic compliance to full certification.
For SMEs, picking a GFSI certification scheme depends on various factors. This covers what customers want, how risky the product is, and how the business runs. After choosing the right scheme, the process is easier to handle with good planning and commitment from the team.
Getting certified helps smaller businesses compete with bigger companies, build trust, and avoid having to go through repeated second-party audits.
Conclusion: Strengthening Food Safety Through GFSI
GFSI certification is more than just meeting requirements.
Investing in your brand helps build its reputation and secure its future. By choosing a recognized scheme and focusing on ongoing improvement, businesses can improve safety and lower risks. In return, you can build trust with retailers and consumers around the world. If you take the right steps, GFSI certification can help your business grow, inspire new ideas, and succeed in the global food industry.
Simply put, GFSI certification offers more than a certificate. It guides food businesses to become safer, more trusted, and better able to compete worldwide.
FAQs
How often do I need to recertify for GFSI?
Most GFSI-recognized schemes call for annual surveillance audits. Full recertification usually happens every 12 months to keep compliance on track.
Can a GFSI-certified facility fail an audit?
Yes, facilities can fail if they do not meet the scheme’s requirements during the audit. Any issues found must be fixed before certification can be given or kept.
Do I need separate certifications for different products?
Not necessarily. Many programs let you certify more than one product with a single facility certificate, as long as each product meets the required food safety standards.
Can small businesses achieve GFSI certification?
Yes, small and medium businesses can begin with entry-level programs like SQF Fundamentals. They can also improve their food safety systems step by step and still meet GFSI certification requirements.
Is GFSI certification recognized worldwide?
Yes. GFSI-recognized certification programs are accepted by retailers, suppliers, and regulatory agencies around the world. This helps businesses enter international markets more easily.
