Basic vs Intermediate: Which Figuro Food Safety System Does Your Business Need?

The Quick Answer

If you are a home-based food business, a startup, or a business preparing for your first food safety audit — start with the Basic System (R3,500). It gives you everything you need to face a GFSI Global Markets Basic or BRCGS Start! audit without paying for documentation you are not ready to implement.

If you are supplying or planning to supply major retailers like Woolworths, SPAR, or Shoprite — or if you are working towards FSSC 22000 certification or GFSI Global Markets Intermediate — you need the Intermediate System (R5,000). Retailers audit at a level the Basic System is not designed to cover.

The sections below explain exactly what separates the two systems so you can make the call with confidence.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	Basic System	Intermediate System
Price	R3,500	R5,000
Templates included	17 audit-ready DOCX templates	26 audit-ready DOCX templates
PRPs covered	5 of 11 (sanitation, pest control, hygiene, allergen management, traceability)	All 11 PRPs
Standards met	GFSI Global Markets Basic, BRCGS Start!, FSSC 22000 Dev, SANS 10330	GFSI Global Markets Intermediate, BRCGS Start!, FSSC 22000, SANS 10330
Food safety culture programme	Not included	Included
Full operational control cycle	Partial — core records only	Complete — from goods-in to product release
Consultant explainer guides	5 guides	5 guides
Delivery	Instant digital download	Within 1 business day of EFT
Who it's for	Home-based businesses, startups, first audits	Retailer suppliers, FSSC 22000 applicants, businesses that have outgrown Basic

Choose Basic If...

• You are a home-based food business getting your documentation in order for the first time
• You are preparing for your first food safety audit and have not been through one before
• Your current customers are small retailers, markets, or food service businesses — not national chains
• You are working towards GFSI Global Markets Basic level or BRCGS Start! certification
• You want to build a solid foundation before investing in a more comprehensive system
• Budget is a constraint and you need the most cost-effective starting point

Choose Intermediate If...

• You are currently supplying or actively negotiating with Woolworths, SPAR, Shoprite, Pick n Pay, or any national retailer
• Your retailer or buyer has told you that your food safety documentation needs to meet FSSC 22000 or GFSI Global Markets Intermediate requirements
• You are applying for FSSC 22000 certification and need the complete documentation framework
• An auditor has identified gaps in your current system — particularly around operational control, supplier management, or food safety culture
• You are already implementing the Basic System and know you need to extend it to cover all 11 PRPs
• Your product range or production volume has grown to a point where a more structured system is needed

Can You Upgrade from Basic to Intermediate Later?

Yes. The two systems are designed to work on the same document architecture. If you start with the Basic System and your business grows into retailer supply or formal certification, you purchase the Intermediate System and add the nine additional templates to your existing documentation set. You do not need to redo or discard your Basic System documents — they form part of the Intermediate System's document group structure.

The practical implication: if you know you will be in a Woolworths or SPAR audit within the next 12 months, start with Intermediate. If your timeline is longer or your immediate goal is a first audit at Basic level, start with Basic and upgrade when you are ready.