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 – all the changes at a glance
The ISO 22000 standard, which was already fundamentally revised in 2018, is the basis of the FSSC 22000. Therefore the structure of the FSSC 22000 had to be revised accordingly, and in June 2019 version 5 was published. Here we would like to inform you about all emerging changes.
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 related to service management, product labelling, food protection and food fraud prevention.
Main modifications to be considered:
- New document structure of the standard
- Implementation of ISO 22000:2018
- New definitions and improvements for the formulation of questions
- Changes to the additional requirements of the FSSC:
- The management of services is covered by ISO 22000:2018. However, as the standard does not specifically address laboratory services, the requirement will remain in the FSSC.
- The requirements for allergens are now also applicable to the categories of catering (E), retail/wholesale (F1) and transport and storage services (G)
- A new requirement for transport and storage services (G) has been introduced
Backgrounds for the changes:
- The revision of ISO 22000:2018 with the high-level structure and the demand for a risk-based management approach
- Inclusion of the decision list of the Board of Stakeholders
- Compliance with GFSI requirements
- Improved presentation of the requirement from version 4.1
- The new version 5 provides for a voluntary quality management module in which all the integrable elements of ISO 9001 are to be included. This enables an integrated certification of your food safety management along with the quality management.
Timeline for the changeover
- You may still carry out audits according to version 4.1 up to 31/12/2019.
- As of 1/1/2020, auditing must be carried out according to the new standard.
- The changeover to the new standard must take place by 31/12/2020 and can be carried out as part of a recertification or a surveillance audit
- The first version 5 audit shall in any case be performed as an announced audit.
- From 30/06/2021 all certificates in the FSSC 22000 audit portal which have been carried out in accordance with version 4.1 will be invalid and no longer appear on the list.