Planning audits across several GFSI schemes at one site
How to plan GFSI multi-scheme audits at one site: aligning BRCGS, IFS and FSSC 22000 windows, unannounced years, auditor approvals and combined visits.
GFSI multi-scheme audits are planned by finding where each scheme's audit window overlaps and booking inside that overlap. BRCGS fixes the due date with a 28-day announced window, IFS allows 8 weeks before to 2 weeks after its due date, and FSSC 22000 surveillance runs by calendar year. Unannounced years, blackout rules and auditor approvals must then line up too.
Key takeaways
- Each scheme keeps its own due date logic, audit duration, unannounced rule and certificate, even when audits share a visit.
- Align dates by working inside the most flexible windows, since BRCGS due dates are fixed from the initial audit.
- Put the unannounced years on the same visit where possible; BRCGS recommends both Standards follow the same programme.
- Check the team: every auditor needs the right approval for each scheme they audit, plus rotation and impartiality clearance.
Why are GFSI multi-scheme audits hard to plan?
GFSI multi-scheme audits happen when one food site holds certificates to more than one GFSI-recognised scheme, often because different retailers ask for different ones. A site may hold FSSC 22000 for one customer, BRCGS Food Safety for a UK retailer and IFS Food for a German one. Each scheme has its own audit window, unannounced rule, audit duration, auditor approvals and certificate.
This article compares BRCGS Food Safety Issue 9 (with protocol BRCGS079), IFS Food version 8 and FSSC 22000 Version 6, noting Version 7 where it matters. Scheme rules change between issues, so check each owner's current documents before you fix a procedure.
How do the schemes' timing rules compare?
Start by placing the rules side by side. The differences in window shape decide where a combined visit can fit.
| Rule | BRCGS Food Issue 9 | IFS Food version 8 | FSSC 22000 Version 6 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Announced window | 28 days before due date | 8 weeks before to 2 weeks after due date | Surveillance in the calendar year; first within 12 months of the decision |
| Unannounced frequency | At least 1 in 3 years | At least every third audit | At least 1 surveillance per 3-year period |
| Unannounced window | 4 months before due date | 16 weeks before to 2 weeks after | Calendar year of the chosen surveillance |
| Blocked dates | Up to 10 non-audit days | 10 working days, max 3 periods | Blackout days agreed in advance |
| Refused entry | Suspension | Withdrawal within 2 working days | Suspension within 3 working days |
Details for each scheme: BRCGS unannounced audits, IFS unannounced audits and FSSC 22000 unannounced audits.
How do you find a date that works for every scheme?
BRCGS due dates are fixed from the site's initial audit, so BRCGS usually anchors the plan. Work out its window, then check which parts of the other schemes' windows overlap it.
Worked example: BRCGS is due on 15 June 2027, so the announced window runs from 18 May to 15 June. IFS is due on 1 July 2027, so its announced window runs from 6 May to 15 July. FSSC 22000 surveillance must happen in 2027. The overlap is 18 May to 15 June, and a combined visit anywhere in those four weeks meets all three. In an unannounced year, the BRCGS window opens on 15 February and the IFS window on 11 March, so the shared unannounced period runs from 11 March to 15 June.
- Anchor on BRCGSCalculate its fixed windows from the due date.
- Overlay IFS and FSSCAdd the IFS windows and the FSSC calendar-year and 12-month limits.
- Take the intersectionBook the visit where every window is open, with a margin before the earliest deadline.
- Merge exclusionsCombine each scheme's blocked dates, keeping each within its own limit.
- Confirm unannounced yearsPlan so unannounced years coincide where the rules allow.
ScheduleAI calculates this intersection for every multi-scheme site and proposes a date and team inside it for the planner to approve.
Should GFSI multi-scheme audits be combined or separate?
A combined visit means one trip and consecutive audit days. Each scheme still needs its own checklist, report and audit time unless the scheme owner allows a reduction. For two BRCGS Standards at one site, BRCGS079 recommends auditing them simultaneously under the same programme, both announced or both unannounced. If they are audited separately and both require unannounced audits, both must be unannounced.
| Separate visits | Combined visit | |
|---|---|---|
| Travel booked once | ✕ | ✓ |
| Site disruption | Spread across the year | Several consecutive days |
| Needs a window overlap | ✕ | ✓ |
| Team needs multi-scheme approvals | ✕ | ✓ |
| One problem delays every scheme | ✕ | ✓ |
The last row is the risk. If a combined visit fails at the last minute, every scheme's deadline is exposed at once. Keep a fallback date inside the overlap. See handling last-minute changes.
Who can audit a multi-scheme site?
Approvals are per scheme and per category or scope. A team for a combined visit needs cover for every scheme, and each individual must be approved for the scheme they sign. Rotation limits also apply per scheme. Under FSSC 22000 Version 6, an auditor may not audit the same organisation for more than two 3-year cycles.
In the illustrative matrix, only Auditor A could run the whole visit alone. Pairing Auditor B with Auditor C covers every scheme. See food safety auditor qualification and audit team selection.
| FSSC 22000 | BRCGS | IFS | Rotation clear | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auditor A | ||||
| Auditor B | ||||
| Auditor C | ||||
| Auditor D |
Qualified or clearIn trainingNot qualified or blocked
How should audit time be planned for several schemes?
Each scheme calculates duration differently. FSSC 22000 adds TFSSC to the ISO/TS 22003-1 time. BRCGS uses its F929 calculator for Food Safety Issue 9, with a maximum of 10 audit hours per day and at least 30% of the time in the production environment. IFS uses its mandatory calculation tool with a 2-day minimum. Add them up for the visit and plan consecutive days. See FSSC 22000 audit duration.
Common GFSI multi-scheme planning mistakes
These are the errors that cost certification bodies late audits at multi-scheme sites.
- Planning every scheme to the narrowest window, BRCGS, and wasting the IFS days after the due date.
- Letting the unannounced years drift apart, so the site gets two surprise visits in a year.
- Sending a team where no one holds the IFS scope approval for that site.
- Forgetting the FSSC 22000 Version 7 upgrade from 1 May 2027 when combining audits.
- Holding each scheme's dates in a different spreadsheet. See spreadsheet risks.
ScheduleAI is the audit scheduling software certification bodies use to plan ISO programmes from stage 1 to recertification.
ScheduleAI holds each scheme's windows, unannounced rules, blocked dates and auditor approvals for the same site, finds the dates where every window is open, and proposes a qualified team for a combined visit for the planner to approve.
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Can one audit cover BRCGS and IFS?
They can share a visit, but each scheme needs its own audit against its own checklist, report and certificate.
How do you align due dates across schemes?
BRCGS due dates are fixed from the initial audit, so align by choosing dates inside the more flexible IFS and FSSC 22000 windows.
Must all schemes at a site be unannounced in the same year?
Each scheme has its own rule. BRCGS recommends that two BRCGS Standards at one site follow the same programme, and aligning the years across schemes avoids repeat surprise visits.
Do blackout days carry across schemes?
Each scheme's allowance is separate: 10 non-audit days for BRCGS, 10 working days in up to 3 periods for IFS, and agreed blackout days for FSSC 22000.
Can an auditor sign reports for several schemes on one visit?
Only for the schemes and categories or scopes they are approved for, and within each scheme's rotation limits.