What is the difference between IFS Broker and IFS Logistics at Epic?

IFS Logistics covers what happens to the product physically while Epic holds it: storage and distribution from the distribution centre in Kontich. IFS Broker covers the trading activity itself, meaning how Epic buys from its suppliers and sells on. Both apply company-wide and are audited annually. Neither is a production certificate, because Epic doesn't produce.

Buyers see the two logos side by side and reasonably ask which one their tender needs. They audit different halves of the same business, so the useful question isn't which one counts more but which activity the questionnaire is asking about.

What does IFS Logistics cover at Epic?

The storage and distribution side. IFS describes the standard as one that "assesses the quality and safety of logistics activities and includes transport, storage, distribution, loading and unloading", and it applies whether goods travel frozen, refrigerated or non-refrigerated. At Epic, that's the physical cold chain: refrigerated warehouses, 24/7 temperature monitoring, frozen transport and refrigerated loading docks, all run from Kontich, where the distribution centre has operated since 1991 and has held 4,500 pallet positions since its 2005 extension.

The facility itself gets its own piece: inside Epic's Kontich distribution centre.

What does IFS Broker cover at Epic?

The trade. IFS calls it "the standard for auditing the service compliance of brokers, sales representatives, traders and importers" of food and other products, and that is Epic's role: it imports frozen seafood from a worldwide network of fishermen and farmers and sells it on to horeca, distributors, retailers and processors. Many of those supply partners have worked with Epic for decades, which is how origin and quality control stay traceable to the source. How Epic sources frozen seafood covers that network in more detail.

Which one does a tender or supplier audit need?

Match the question to the activity. If the questionnaire asks how the supplier stores, handles and transports frozen product, that's IFS Logistics territory. If it asks how the supplier trades, meaning how it buys from its sources and sells on, that's the broker side. Epic holds both, company-wide, so a buyer can cite either one without checking it product by product, which isn't true of every certificate on the list.

Why is there no food production certificate?

Because Epic is an importer and distributor, not a producer. A production standard such as IFS Food, which IFS says reviews "the products and production processes to evaluate a food producer's ability to produce safe, authentic, and quality products", is aimed at the company that makes the food. Epic stores and trades it. For a question about how a particular reference was produced, ask Epic about that reference directly.

Where do MSC and ASC fit in?

They work differently from the IFS pair. MSC (wild catch from sustainably managed fisheries) and ASC (responsible aquaculture) don't cover the whole assortment; they apply to specific references, such as certain cod loins under MSC and certain vannamei shrimp and tilapia fillets under ASC. A buyer who needs an MSC or ASC label for their own packaging should check certification per reference rather than assume it applies company-wide.

AEO (Authorised Economic Operator) is the third company-wide certificate and covers customs security across borders, which matters to anyone importing or exporting. All five logos appear on the epic.be homepage under "We are certified" and on the about page under "The proof is on the label", and the certificates, food safety and cold chain page sets out what each one applies to.

Frequently asked questions

Is Epic an IFS certified supplier?

Yes. Epic works according to IFS Logistics for storage and distribution and IFS Broker for the trading activity, both company-wide and audited annually for the entire organisation.

Are all Epic products MSC or ASC certified?

No. MSC and ASC apply only to the specific references that genuinely hold them, not to the full assortment. Check the label per reference with Epic.

Does IFS Logistics apply to frozen products?

Yes. IFS states that the standard applies to all types of food and non-food products, whether they are transported frozen, refrigerated or non-refrigerated. At Epic it covers the frozen storage and distribution run from Kontich.