IFS unannounced audits: options, timing and scheduling
The IFS unannounced audit under IFS Food version 8: every third audit, the 16-week window, blackout periods, seasonal sites and how to plan it.
Key takeaways
- IFS Food version 8 requires at least every third audit to be unannounced, a rule in force since 1 January 2021.
- The unannounced window runs from 16 weeks before to 2 weeks after the audit due date; announced audits use 8 weeks before to 2 weeks after.
- Sites may block out up to 10 working days in no more than 3 periods, notified at least 4 weeks before the window opens.
- Denying the auditor access, outside force majeure, leads to withdrawal of the certificate within 2 working days.
An IFS unannounced audit is a full IFS Food audit where the site is not told the date. Under IFS Food version 8, at least every third IFS Food audit must be unannounced. It takes place in a window from 16 weeks before to 2 weeks after the audit due date, the site can block out up to 10 working days, and a successful audit earns IFS Star status.
What is an IFS unannounced audit?
An IFS unannounced audit is a complete IFS Food audit, against the full checklist, carried out without prior notification of the date to the production site. It follows the same requirements as an announced audit. The difference is timing: the certification body picks the day, inside a wider window, and the auditor arrives unexpected.
The rules sit in Part 1 of IFS Food version 8 (April 2023), section 2.4, supported by the IFS Food version 8 Doctrine, which IFS updates regularly. Version 8 has been the only version in audit use since 2024. Check the current Standard and Doctrine on ifs-certification.com before relying on any detail below.
How often is an IFS unannounced audit required?
Section 2.4 states that an unannounced audit shall be performed at least once every third IFS Food audit, starting 1 January 2021. A site can choose unannounced more often. Planners should track the sequence per site: if the last two audits were announced, the next must be unannounced.
An initial audit may also be unannounced, but the Standard does not recommend it. A successful unannounced audit gives the site IFS Star status, visible on the IFS Database and on the certificate. The status is withdrawn once an announced audit takes place, which some sites care about commercially.
When can the IFS unannounced audit take place?
The window runs from 16 weeks before the audit due date to 2 weeks after it. For comparison, an announced recertification audit must happen at the earliest 8 weeks before and at the latest 2 weeks after the due date. The IFS window extends past the due date, which BRCGS does not allow.
Worked example: the audit due date is 1 June 2027. The unannounced window runs from 9 February to 15 June 2027. The site must send its blackout periods by 12 January 2027, 4 weeks before the window opens. If the audit were announced, the window would start on 6 April.
- 1Unannounced window opens
- 2Announced window opens
- 3Audit due date
- 4Latest date
What blackout periods can an IFS site set?
The site can give the certification body a blackout period of up to 10 working days when the production site is not available, plus its non-operating periods. The 10 working days can be split into a maximum of 3 periods. The site must notify them at the latest 4 weeks before the start of the audit time window.
Non-operating periods are separate from blackout days. A factory closed for two weeks in August is simply not available; it does not use up the 10 days. Planners need both in the calendar, along with shift patterns, so the auditor arrives when the products in scope are being made.
- ✓Unannounced option agreed with the site before the window opens
- ✓Blackout periods received at least 4 weeks before the window, 10 working days maximum, 3 periods maximum
- ✓Non-operating periods and shift patterns recorded
- ✓Seasonal production dates recorded if relevant
- ✓Auditor approved for the site's product and technology scopes
- ✓Date withheld from all client-facing messages
IFS unannounced audit rules at a glance
The table below brings the version 8 timing rules together. Use it as a quick reference and check the source text for edge cases.
| Situation | Audit window | Site told the date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Announced recertification | 8 weeks before to 2 weeks after due date | Yes | Standard case |
| Unannounced | 16 weeks before to 2 weeks after due date | No | At least every third audit; IFS Star status |
| Seasonal site, unannounced | Any time in the notified seasonal production period | No | The 16-week window does not apply |
| Access denied | Not applicable | Not applicable | Certificate withdrawn within 2 working days, unless force majeure |
For seasonal production, the site notifies its expected production dates and the standard window no longer applies. See scheduling audits around seasonal production for how to plan those short periods.
How do IFS and BRCGS unannounced audits differ?
Many certification bodies audit both. The rules look similar but differ in ways that catch planners out, especially the window end date. See BRCGS unannounced audits for the full BRCGS rules.
| BRCGS Food Issue 9 | IFS Food version 8 | |
|---|---|---|
| Frequency | At least 1 every 3 years | At least every third audit |
| Window opens | 4 months before due date | 16 weeks before due date |
| Audit after due date | Only by concession | Up to 2 weeks after |
| Blocked dates | Up to 10 days | 10 working days, max 3 periods |
| Site refuses entry | Suspension | Withdrawal within 2 working days |
How should planners schedule IFS unannounced audits?
Treat the unannounced audit as a constraint problem with a long window and a few hard exclusions. The auditor must hold approval for the site's product and technology scopes, be free on an operating day outside the blackout periods, and fit a sensible route. See food safety auditor qualification.
- Flag the audit earlyAt the previous audit, record whether the next one must be unannounced under the every-third rule.
- Collect exclusionsBlackout periods, closures, shifts and seasonal dates, 4 weeks before the window at the latest.
- Allocate in the first halfAim for the first half of the 16 weeks so illness or travel problems still leave room.
- Protect the dateKeep it in the internal plan only and switch off automatic confirmations.
- Plan the follow-upHold capacity in case of refused access or an incomplete audit.
Clustering helps: an unannounced audit can share a trip with announced audits nearby, as long as nothing in the trip reveals the date. Conflict checks then stop the same auditor being double booked when a client moves another visit.
ScheduleAI treats the 16-week window and blackout periods as hard constraints, and planners approve the proposed date before it is released.
Common mistakes with IFS unannounced visits
These errors show up repeatedly in audit files and complaints.
MythThe window closes on the due date, as with BRCGS.
RealityIFS allows the unannounced audit up to 2 weeks after the due date. Planning to BRCGS rules wastes those two weeks.
MythBlackout days can be sent whenever the site knows them.
RealityThey must arrive at the latest 4 weeks before the window opens.
MythA closed factory counts against the 10 days.
RealityNon-operating periods are handled separately from the blackout allowance.
For sites holding several schemes, see multi-scheme audit planning, and for due date tracking in general, audit due date tracking.
See how ScheduleAI's audit scheduling software applies these rules across a whole programme in minutes.
ScheduleAI models the IFS 16-week unannounced window, the every-third-audit rule, blackout periods and scope approvals as constraints, proposes an auditor and date early in the window, and keeps the date internal until a planner approves it.
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How often is an IFS unannounced audit required?
At least once every third IFS Food audit, as set out in IFS Food version 8, Part 1, section 2.4.
What is the IFS unannounced audit window?
From 16 weeks before to 2 weeks after the audit due date. For seasonal sites, the audit happens during the notified production period instead.
How many blackout days does IFS allow?
Up to 10 working days, split into no more than 3 periods, notified at least 4 weeks before the window opens. Non-operating periods are separate.
What is IFS Star status?
A status shown on the IFS Database and certificate after an unannounced audit. It is withdrawn when an announced audit takes place.
What happens if the site refuses entry?
Apart from force majeure, the certification body withdraws the valid certificate within 2 working days of the audit date.
What is the minimum IFS Food audit duration?
The mandatory IFS calculation tool sets the duration, and the minimum is 2 days (16 hours).