Food supplier certifications explained: what each scheme covers and how to check it
For buyers comparing produce, seafood, poultry and egg suppliers: food safety, farm, aquaculture, fisheries and social schemes side by side.
Prepared by the Global B2B Group project team · Last reviewed · Scope: International schemes; GFSI recognition status as published by GFSI on 23 October 2026.
What does a supplier certificate prove?
A certificate shows that a certification body audited a named site against a scheme's requirements, for a stated scope, and that the certificate was valid on the dates shown. It does not prove that a particular shipment is safe, meets your specification or meets your country's import rules. GFSI recognises several food safety schemes — including BRCGS, FSSC 22000, IFS, GLOBALG.A.P., SQF, PrimusGFS, CanadaGAP and the Global Seafood Alliance — while social audits such as SMETA and sustainability standards such as ASC and MSC answer different questions. Check scope, site and expiry in the scheme owner's public register.
Schemes side by side
Use this table to see which question each scheme answers. Scheme owners change versions and scopes; the official pages are linked under Sources.
| Scheme | What it assesses | Typical stage | GFSI-recognised | Where to check a certificate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRCGS Food Safety | Food safety management at the certificated site | Processing, packing, manufacturing | Yes | BRCGS public directory |
| FSSC 22000 | Food safety management system; scheme based on ISO 22000 | Processing, manufacturing, packaging | Yes | FSSC public register |
| IFS Food | A producer's ability to make safe, authentic, quality products to legal requirements and customer specifications | Processing, manufacturing | Yes | IFS (scheme owner) |
| GLOBALG.A.P. Integrated Farm Assurance | Good agricultural practice at farm level | Farms and primary production | Yes | GLOBALG.A.P. database |
| BAP (Global Seafood Alliance) | Aquaculture practices across hatcheries, farms, feed mills and further stages | Aquaculture supply chain | Yes (Global Seafood Alliance) | BAP (scheme owner) |
| ASC | Farmed seafood against ASC environmental and social standards, with chain-of-custody traceability | Aquaculture farms and supply chain | Not a GFSI food safety scheme | ASC (scheme owner) |
| MSC | Sustainability of wild-capture fisheries, plus a chain-of-custody standard | Wild fisheries and supply chain | Not a GFSI food safety scheme | MSC (scheme owner) |
| SMETA (Sedex) | Social audit: labour standards and health and safety, optionally environment and business ethics | Any site | Not a GFSI food safety scheme | Sedex (audit shared through Sedex) |
What a certificate does not prove
Certificates are evidence about a site and a management system at the time of audit. They are not a substitute for shipment documents or your own specification.
- Not shipment conformity — grade, size, count, glaze or residues are checked against your specification and inspection terms.
- Not government clearance — phytosanitary and health certificates are issued by the exporting country's authorities, separately from any private scheme.
- Not every site or product — a certificate covers the named site and scope; a trader's certificate does not cover the grower or packer behind it.
- Not permanent — check the expiry date and whether the certificate was suspended or withdrawn.
How to check a certificate
- Ask for the scheme, certificate number, site name and address, scope and expiry date — not only a logo.
- Look up the certificate in the scheme owner's public register or database where one exists, and match the site and scope.
- For GFSI recognition, check GFSI's list of recognised certification programme owners and the version recognised.
- Record what you checked and when. In our shortlists, each certificate is labelled with its status — for example document received, or found in the public register on a stated date — and never called verified without that check.
Certification questions to include in an RFQ
- Which schemes your customers or market require (for example a GFSI-recognised food safety scheme, GLOBALG.A.P. at farm level, ASC or MSC for seafood)
- Whether the certificate must cover the grower, the packer, the processor, or all of them
- Certificate number, scope and expiry for each site
- Any social audit you need (for example SMETA) and whether a recent audit report must be shared
- How certificate changes during the programme will be notified
Our team turns these points into one reviewed request and approaches suitable suppliers on your behalf. Buyers pay nothing; sourcing programmes start from USD 250,000 per year or season, and every requirement is confirmed per shipment rather than assumed.
Frequently asked questions
What is FSSC 22000?
FSSC 22000 is a certification scheme for food safety management systems, based on ISO 22000 and run by Foundation FSSC. It is recognised by GFSI; certified organisations can be checked in the FSSC public register.
What is the difference between BRCGS and FSSC 22000?
Both are GFSI-recognised food safety certification schemes for processing and manufacturing sites. FSSC 22000 is built on the ISO 22000 management-system standard; BRCGS uses its own standard. Buyers often accept either — confirm what your customers require.
What is a SMETA audit?
SMETA (Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit) is a social audit created by Sedex. Every SMETA audit covers labour standards and health and safety; the 4-pillar version adds environment and business ethics. It is not a food safety certificate.
Is GLOBALG.A.P. a certificate for packhouses or processors?
GLOBALG.A.P. Integrated Farm Assurance addresses good agricultural practice at farm level. Packing and processing sites usually hold a separate food safety certificate such as BRCGS, FSSC 22000 or IFS.
What is the difference between ASC and MSC?
ASC covers farmed seafood against environmental and social standards; MSC covers wild-capture fisheries. Both use a chain-of-custody standard so labelled products can be traced through the supply chain.
Sources
- GFSI — Recognised certification programme owners — checked 23 October 2026
- Foundation FSSC — FSSC 22000 scheme — checked 23 October 2026
- Foundation FSSC — public register of certified organisations — checked 23 October 2026
- BRCGS — public directory of certificated sites — checked 23 October 2026
- IFS — IFS Food standard — checked 23 October 2026
- GLOBALG.A.P. — Integrated Farm Assurance — checked 23 October 2026
- GLOBALG.A.P. — public certificate database — checked 23 October 2026
- Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) — certification overview — checked 23 October 2026
- Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) — checked 23 October 2026
- Marine Stewardship Council — standards and certification — checked 23 October 2026
- Sedex — SMETA audit — checked 23 October 2026
This guide summarises official sources for planning a sourcing request. It is not legal or customs advice; rules change and depend on the product, HS code, origin, destination and date — confirm them with the authority or your customs broker before you ship.