FSSC 22000 - Services

Recognised by GFSI

The Foundation for Food Safety Certification has created an internationally uniform certification system for the food industry: after certification according to FSSC 22000, producers of food and food packaging materials can contribute to the safety of the supply chain and to a cross-border harmonisation of the certification systems.

Broad acceptance

The standard is based on DIN EN ISO 22000 and the technical specifications for specific preventive programmes for food safety. It is promoted by the Confederation of the Food and Drink Industries (CIAA) of the European Union and, unlike DIN EN ISO 22000, it is recognised by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI). Prominent large corporations in the industry were the driving force behind its introduction. It is anticipated that further multinational food producers and their suppliers will also support the certification.

Who is the standard suitable for?

With a successful certification, companies can provide their trading partners with objective evidence that they have implemented an audited management system for food safety. The certification is aimed at companies of any size which produce, process or package animal or vegetable products or other foodstuffs and additives. The prerequisites are the introduction of a quality management system for food safety and observance of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP).

Such a system can be introduced either by the company itself or with the help of a specialised consultant. Contact us and we will help you.

FSSC 22000 Version 5.1 – all the changes at a glance

Elements of the FSSC 22000:

ISO 22000 as the standard used to provide structure
PRPs as sector-specific preventive programs for securing technical specifications during application
Additional FSSC 22000 requirements

Main modifications to be considered:

For organizations, the following modifications are essentially to be observed:

Changes to the FSSC 22000 additional requirements:
- Management of services and purchased materials
- Product labelling
- Storage and warehousing
- Hazard control and measures for preventing cross-contamination
- PRP verification
- Product development
- Health status
- Requirements of organizations with multi-site certification

Backgrounds for the changes:

Strengthening the licensing process and the Integrity Program
Compliance with GFSI Benchmarking Requirements (version 2020.1)
Inclusion of the Board of Stakeholders list of decisions
Continual improvement process

Timeline for the changeover

Audit against Version 5 are only allowed up to latest 31/03/2021
Upgrade audits again Version 5.1 shall be conducted from 01/04/2021.
The changeover to the new standard must take place by 31/03/2022.
It is not possible to conduct upgrade surveillance audits directly from V4.1 to V5.1
Recertification audits may be conducted directly from Version 4.1 to Version 5.1 where the recertification audit takes place on or after 1 April 2021 as a result of a certificate validity extension. In these cases, the first surveillance audit shall also be conducted in 2021 to meet the calendar year and certification requirements.
An upgrade audit is a full audit against the new FSSC 22000 V5.1 requirements and may be conducted unannounced where needed in order to meet the 3-yearly unannounced audit requirements