If you are a wholesaler and would like to participate in the QS scheme, you can register via the QS database, where you can choose an approved certification body that will perform the audit on your premises. The same applies to agencies and packing stations.
After a successful audit, the certification body enters the result in the QS database. You will then be sent the QS scheme agreement for signing. Once the agreement has been signed, you are entitled to trading/handling QS goods.
You can find the documents for your participation in the QS scheme here. The current scale of fees can be found here.
Relevant documents
FAQs
You can choose between participating with a QS wholesale audit or with a combined IFS-QS audit. With the combined audit, you get both certifications and avoid double auditing. To this, you have to meet the IFS requirements and additionally the QS requirements, contained in an additional checklist.
The following IFS-QS-combined audits are possible:
- IFS Food and QS Wholesale
- IFS Cash&Carry and QS Wholesale
- IFS Broker and QS Agency
The individual steps for a participation in the QS scheme are explained in detail in the supporting document Steps to become a scheme participant - wholesale. Further information including the relevant documents can be found at Wholesaler.
To participate in the QS scheme, the following steps are required:
- Registration in the QS database (www.qs-plattform.de//index_english) via Initial Registration. With the initial registration you enter, among others, information about your company and choose a certification body, which shall perform the audit. After successful registration you will receive your login data for the database and always have the opportunity to change any information you entered.
- Contacting the certification body: After registration in the database please contact the certification body and arrange an audit date.
- Performing the audit: After passing the audit, the certification body enters the report into the database and authorizes it. QS will then check the audit report.
- Sending the contract: After QS has checked the audit report you get the scheme contract for the wholesale stage in duplicate. When both signed documents have been received by the QS office, one countersigned copy will be sent back to you.
- You will receive the eligibility of delivery once the signed documents have been received in the QS office and have been countersigned. After receiving the eligibility of delivery, your company can be found as eligible to deliver in the public search of the database.
An additional registration and certification for the stage Preparation/Processing Fruit, Vegetables, Potatoes must be obtained if your company prepares or processes products (this includes the following processes: shredding, peeling, grating, slicing, pureeing, staining, freezing, heating, canning production, sprout production) and wishes to market these goods as QS goods.
Your company can be certified according to the QS Guideline Wholesale Fruit, Vegetables, Potatoes if it can be assigned to one of the following categories:
- Wholesalers (with physical contact with goods) who become the owner of the goods
- Agencies (without having a direct (physical) contact with the goods) that become owner of the goods or that are buyer of the goods in order to further commercialization
- Service provider with product handling who do not become the owner of the goods (e.g. packing companies)
If your company is a logistics company that exclusively transports and/or stores goods and does not become the owner of the goods, the relevant guideline is the QS Guideline Logistics Fruit, Vegetables, Potatoes.
