IFS Food Maturity · Version 8
Your IFS Food v8 readiness level, measured chapter by chapter and turned into an action plan.
9 themes, a 5-level scale. And the action that moves each level to the next.
The framework’s 9 themes, already written from L1 to L5. One company, one business unit, or 300 at once.
IFS Food Maturity · Version 8
9 themes, 5-level scale.
Nordhavn Industries
53 / 100
They measure their maturity with Datamensio
An example
This could be your situation.
Take one company as an example: three sites, three spreadsheets, no shared answer.
Nobody can consolidate.
Nordhavn Industries, 2,400 people in Hamburg, Lyon and Porto. A client asks where the group stands. Each site answers in its own spreadsheet, with its own scales.
Three weeks, a single base.
One IFS Food version 8 (applicable since 1 January 2024) assessment launched across all three sites at once, from the managers’ interview notes. The framework was already written, its 9 themes and levels L1 to L5 too.
Two costs avoided before being committed.
A score of 53 out of 100, with the gap concentrated on three themes. The AI companion spotted that two actions duplicated those of another audit. The committee report took one sentence to request.
What it saved them
- 3sites measured on the same base, instead of three questionnaires to reconcile
- 2duplicate actions caught before the spend
- 1committee report, with no manual rework
These figures are an example. They could be yours.
The standard imposes processes. Datamensio says where you stand.
01
The framework is already written
Themes, questions and levels L1 to L5, all written. You do not start from an empty spreadsheet.
02
The score lands the same day
Online, by self-assessment link or in interview. Theme by theme, comparable over time.
03
The gap becomes a costed plan
Every step up carries its action. The AI prioritises on expected effect, not on the order of the standard.
04
Progress can be demonstrated
Campaign after campaign, against your target and against your own past. That is what your board asks for.
The maturity scale
One level, the next, and the action that links the two.
This mechanism, a level, the level above, and the action linking the two, is what turns an audit finding into a genuine improvement trajectory.
Is allergen risk control demonstrable across all production lines?
- N1
No formalised assessment of cross-contamination risk. Management relies on production teams’ knowledge of recipes.
- N2
An assessment exists and allergens are declared on labelling, but production sequencing and intermediate cleaning are not described line by line.
- N3
Risk is assessed by line, sequencing is planned, cleaning between runs is described and recorded. Gaps are occasional and addressed.
- N4
Cleaning effectiveness is validated through testing or protein swabs, results are acted upon, and any change to recipe or scheduling triggers a documented reassessment.
- N5
The system is periodically reviewed based on test results, complaints and range changes, with a revision history and indicators tracked at management review.
Action to move from L2 to L3
Build the allergen matrix by line and by product, link it to sequencing rules and intermediate cleaning procedures, and integrate sequencing compliance checks into the weekly production planning review.
« With Datamensio, we meet our objectives far more efficiently. The ERDF inspection services and our supervising ministry particularly appreciated an approach that gives them reliable data. »
Director, CCI 94CCI Île-de-France
« We believe this is the most suitable solution to scale our transformation project and measure impact according to our needs. »
Maja SucekChief Operating Officer, Interreg Danube
Rarely on its own
Frameworks combine. Put several together to cover your business, or have the AI write yours.
Take your first measurementon IFS FOOD.
What this framework covers
IFS Food is a GFSI-recognised food safety and product quality framework for sites that process food or pack unwrapped products. Version 8 has been applicable since 1 January 2024. It organises requirements into chapters covering governance and senior management commitment, the quality and food safety management system, resource management, operational processes, measurements and analyses, and the food defence plan. Some requirements are classed as KO, and a failure on any one of them has a direct impact on the audit outcome.
The difficulty is not reading the framework, it is knowing where the site really stands between two audits. Is allergen control demonstrable across the whole line, or does it rest on the experience of two people in production? Is the HACCP review genuinely triggered by a recipe or equipment change, or only once a year on a fixed date? Are corrective actions from the last audit closed with proof of effectiveness, or simply marked as done? These questions arise site by site, and are hard to compare across sites without a common grid.
Version 8 has strengthened several areas of focus: food safety culture, required by GFSI, with elements of assessment and tracking over time, food fraud and food defence treated as standalone programmes, and a sharper emphasis on unannounced audits. One frequent confusion is worth clearing up: IFS Food does not replace EU regulatory obligations. A site being audited under IFS remains bound by Regulations (EC) No 852/2004, No 178/2002 and the applicable sector-specific texts. The private framework sits alongside these, it does not substitute for them.
The IFS audit concludes with a score and a level. The maturity assessment answers a different question: what level of control does each practice actually sit at, and what precise action moves it up a level. A site can be scored as compliant on a requirement while still holding it together through unstable practices, dependent on one person or an informal reminder. The maturity scale makes this fragility visible before it becomes a gap, and it allows several sites within the same group to be compared on the same basis.
The framework is ready to use in Datamensio and remains fully editable. The AI adjusts themes, questions and level wording to your product category and process technologies, or builds a variant from your own documents: quality manual, HACCP plan, previous audit reports. Assessments across multiple sites consolidate into a cross-site roadmap, with reporting to plant management in a space carrying your own branding.
Reference standard: IFS Food version 8 (applicable since 1 January 2024)
The themes assessed
Governance and senior management commitment
Food safety and quality policy, measurable objectives and their review, management review, resources allocated, customer orientation and complaint handling at management level.
Quality and food safety management system
Document control, record keeping, HACCP plan aligned with Codex, HACCP team and its competencies, hazard analysis, determination and monitoring of CCPs, critical limits and actions in the event of deviation.
Resource management
Personal hygiene and protective clothing, medical checks, training and instructions by role, sanitary facilities, management of visitors and external contractors.
Production planning and processes
Product and raw material specifications, recipe development and validation, purchasing and supplier evaluation, packaging and food contact materials, plant environment, zoning and flows, foreign body control.
Allergen control and authenticity
Cross-contamination risk assessment, production sequencing, validated cleaning between runs, labelling and declarations, claims management, control of products subject to customer specifications.
Traceability, withdrawal and recall
Upstream and downstream batch identification, traceability tests and their frequency, mass balance, withdrawal and recall procedure, crisis management, drills and recorded results.
Food fraud and food defence
Fraud vulnerability assessment, mitigation plan, access control to sensitive areas, management of at-risk raw materials, assignment of responsibilities and periodic review of assessments.
Measurements, analyses and improvement
Internal audit and site inspection programme, product and environmental testing plan, non-conformity and non-conforming product management, corrective actions and verification of their effectiveness, tracking of audit gaps.
Food safety culture
Internal communication on food safety issues, expected behaviours and their observation on the floor, escalation of weak signals by operators, improvement plan and tracking over time.
A short version of the framework is available for the online self-assessment.
Frequently asked questions
Does this assessment deliver IFS Food certification?
No. Only an accredited certification body, through an approved IFS auditor, can carry out the audit and issue the certificate. The assessment measures the site’s maturity against the structure of version 8 and produces the action plan to work through before the audit.
How does this differ from a pre-audit run by a consultancy?
A pre-audit concludes with a list of gaps at a given date. The maturity assessment places each practice on a progressive scale, indicates the action that moves it up a level, and allows the assessment to be re-run to measure progress. The two are complementary: the assessment structures the preparation, the pre-audit verifies it.
How long does the assessment take?
The short version can be completed in a single working session. The full version, run collaboratively with the quality manager, production and maintenance, typically spans one to two weeks, with most of the time spent gathering evidence from departments.
Can the framework be adapted to our product category?
Yes. Questions, levels and themes are all editable, and the AI adjusts them to your product scope and process technologies. You can also start from your quality manual or HACCP plan to build a version specific to your sites.
Can several sites be compared with each other?
Yes. Assessments run on the same framework can be compared by business unit and over time. Gaps across different sites consolidate into a cross-site roadmap, avoiding funding the same action ten times across ten plants.
How does the assessment handle KO requirements?
They are flagged as such within the relevant themes, allowing them to be prioritised in the action plan. The assessment does not, however, replace the auditor’s scoring, which alone determines formal compliance with these requirements.
Does IFS Food exempt sites from EU regulatory obligations?
No. The private framework sits alongside applicable regulations, notably on hygiene, traceability and contaminants. The corresponding regulatory frameworks are available in the catalogue and can be assessed in parallel, with a shared roadmap.
Where is the data hosted?
In France, with OVH, backed up at Scaleway. No transfer outside the European Union. The AI models used can be selected, including from European providers.