Certification
BRCGS vs SQF — and where PrimusGFS and GLOBALG.A.P. fit
Four schemes, all GFSI-recognized. Choosing between them is less about the standards than most people assume.
Ask your buyer first. Their answer decides it more often than any comparison of the standards will.
What they have in common
All four are recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative, which means each is broadly accepted as evidence that your food safety system has been audited against a recognized standard. All require a documented system, a hazard analysis, prerequisite programs, and an audit by an accredited certification body. The overlap is large.
BRCGS
Originated with UK retail and remains prescriptive and detailed. Audits produce a grade rather than a simple pass, which some buyers use to compare suppliers directly. Common where you are selling into UK or European retail.
SQF
Administered in the United States by FMI. Modular in structure, so you can certify food safety alone or add a quality code on top. Widely recognized across North American retail and foodservice supply chains.
PrimusGFS
Strong in produce. It covers farm, harvest crew, and packinghouse or processing operations within one scheme, which suits growers and packers who would otherwise need to satisfy several audits across a single operation. Common with North American produce buyers.
GLOBALG.A.P.
The reference standard at farm level. Integrated Farm Assurance covers food safety alongside environmental practice, worker wellbeing and traceability, which is why European buyers ask for it by name and why growers exporting into the EU rarely have a choice about it.
One detail matters more here than anywhere else on this page. IFA version 6 exists in two editions. IFA v6 GFS is the edition built to satisfy GFSI, recognized in August 2024 for fruit and vegetables and for aquaculture. IFA v6 Smart follows the same principles with more flexible rules and is not GFSI-recognized. If a buyer asks for a GFSI-recognized certificate, only the GFS edition answers that. It is an easy and expensive thing to get wrong, and it is usually discovered at the worst possible moment.
How to actually decide
- Ask your largest customers which schemes they accept, and whether any of them prefer one.
- Look at where your product ends up. European retail leans toward GLOBALG.A.P., North American produce toward PrimusGFS, packaged goods toward SQF or BRCGS.
- Consider scope. If one scheme covers your whole operation and another needs two audits, that difference outweighs everything else.
- Ignore small differences in certification cost. Choosing a scheme your buyer does not accept costs far more.
The scheme matters less than whether the program underneath it reflects what your operation actually does. A well-built system passes any of the three. A copied template struggles with all of them.
General guidance. Confirm requirements with your certification body and your customers.