Product defence, protecting goods against intentional tampering or contamination, is a requirement that is frequently flagged as a deviation during IFS Logistics Audits. In this blog post, IFS Standard Manager Mariana Estrada takes a closer look at where companies most often fall short. She shares seven practical tips to help you ensure that your procedures and plans are effectively implemented and maintained.

1. Make the vulnerability assessment site-specific: Focus on realistic internal and external threats relevant to your operation and clearly define the criteria used for the assessment.
2. Identify critical areas and control access: Clearly determine which areas, activities or practices could present a risk to products. Establish rules for employees, visitors and contractors, covering identification, authorisation and, where necessary, supervision.
3. Plan for external inspections and visits: Specify how regulatory authorities, inspectors and other external visitors are managed, including who is responsible for accompanying or supervising them.
4. Include the entire logistics process: Assess risks during receiving, storage, loading, transportation, shipping and dispatch of goods.
5. Consider IT and cybersecurity: Pinpoint relevant cyberattack threats and implement measures to protect IT systems and information that could affect the security or integrity of goods and customer information.
6. Define a reliable alert system: Establish who needs to be informed, how alerts are communicated, and what actions need to be taken. Test the system periodically and retain evidence of its effectiveness.
7. Keep implementation evidence: During an audit, it is important to demonstrate not only that the procedure exists but that it is implemented, for example, through training records, access controls, inspections, incident records, and documented tests. 

Quick self-check: Review your product defence plan regularly and ask yourself: “If someone wanted to intentionally compromise our goods, where could they do it, and would our current measures prevent or detect it?” This simple question can help reveal gaps that may otherwise be overlooked.

Product Defence and product fraud are covered in the same section of IFS Logistics. For practical guidance on product fraud, including a dedicated chapter on logistics, see the IFS Guideline Product Fraud Mitigation.