March 10, 2017

FSSC 22000 Food Safety System Certification (FSSC 22000)

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:

  1. Food Safety Management
  2. Food Safety Policy
  3. Food Safety Manual
  4. Management Responsibility
  5. Management Commitment
  6. Management Review
  7. Resource Management
  8. Documentation
  9. Specifications
  10. Procedures
  11. Internal Audits
  12. Corrective Action
  13. Control of Non-conformity
  14. Product Release
  15. Purchasing
  16. Supplier Performance Monitoring
  17. Traceability
  18. Complaint Handling
  19. Serious Incident Management
  20. Control of Measuring and Monitoring\
  21. Product Analysis
  22. Prerequisite Programs (PRPs), and
  23. 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

Contact us to take the first step towards certification to a food safety standard.