What is FSSC 22000?

Food Safety System Certification 22000 is a required for Food Safety Certification.

It is ISO-based, internationally accepted certification scheme for auditing and certification of food safety within the food and beverage manufacturing sector.

FSSC 22000 is based on the existing standards ISO 22000, ISO 22003 and technical specifications for sector prerequisite programs (PRPs), which were developed through consultation with a number of related organizations.

Manufacturers who are ISO 22000 certified can obtain full Global Food Safety Initiatives (GFSI) recognition through FSSC 22000 certification by meeting the requirements of technical specifications for sector PRPs and the additional scheme requirements.

The requirements of the standards vary a bit from program to program, but they all follow GFSI guidelines. This means that in order to achieve certification, an organization must have documentation and/or processes in place for the following:

Food Safety Management
Food Safety Policy
Food Safety Manual
Management Responsibility
Management Commitment
Management Review
Resource Management
Documentation
Specifications
Procedures
Internal Audits
Corrective Action
Control of Non-conformity
Product Release
Purchasing
Supplier Performance Monitoring
Traceability
Complaint Handling
Serious Incident Management
Control of Measuring and Monitoring\
Product Analysis
Prerequisite Programs (PRPs), and
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)

What is FSSC 22000 used for?

FSSC 22000 is suitable for auditing and certification of food safety systems for companies in food processing, eg. fish processing plants or perishable animal products (dairy, meat, poultry and eggs).

Others includes perishable vegetable products including fresh fruits, juices vegetables and preserved fruits and preserved vegetables.

FSSC 22000 also governs products with shelf life, biochemicals (eg. vitamins, additives and biocultures)

Benefits of FSSC 22000 certification

FSSC 22000 is based on ISO 22000 ensuring compatibility and consistency
It is GFSI recognized
Use of existing, independent, international standards
ISO 22000, ISO 22003 and technical specifications for sector pre-requisite programs
ISO/IEC 17021 accreditation (system and process approach)
Fills the gap across different sector within the Food Safety industry (eg. Food and Beverages, Slaughtering, Pet food)
Commitment from various stakeholders including industry participants, retailers and NGOs
Transparency