FSSC 22000

FSSC 22000

The Food Safety System Certification 22000 (FSSC 22000) offers a complete certification Scheme for the auditing and certification of Food Safety Management Systems (FSMS). It also offers certification for combined FSMS and Quality Management Systems (FSSC 22000-Quality).



The Scheme designs 

Developed through extensive and open consultation with many global stakeholders, the Scheme uses international and independent standards such as ISO 22000, ISO 9001, ISO/TS 22003, and technical specifications for sector-specific Pre-Requisite Programs (PRPs), such as ISO/TS 22002-1.

Alongside these standards, the Scheme contains so-called FSSC Additional Requirements. The 3 Required Components of the FSSC 22000 Scheme

ISO 22000    ISO 22000 provides a common framework across the entire supply chain to manage requirements, communication internally and externally, and continually improve the system.

PRPs    Sector specific Prerequisite Programs (ISO/TS standards and BSI PAS)

FSSC 22000

Requirements    FSSC 22000 adds specific requirements to ensure consistency, integrity and to provide governance and management of the scheme.



S ectors

The Scheme provides a certification model that can be used in the whole food supply chain. It can cover sectors where a technical specification for sector PRPs has been realized. FSSC 22000 follows the food chain category description as defined in ISO/TS 22003.

As the development of new technical specifications for sector PRPs is ongoing, the actual scope of the Scheme will follow these developments.

The Scheme documents contain the requirements for organizations in the food and feed supply chain to gain certification. They shall be used by the applicant organization to assess, develop, implement, and improve its food and feed safety management system prior to application for certification.

The food and feed safety management system requirements also serve as the normative documents for certification of the organization. The normative documents shall be used by the CB to assess the continuous compliance of the food and feed safety management system of the applicant organization with the required performance.

FSSC 22000-Quality

Besides these three components, there is an FSSC 22000-Quality option based on the additional requirements of ISO 9001 for organizations wishing to integrate their food quality management system into the scope of their certification.

FSSC 22000-Quality consists of a combined FSSC 22000 and a full ISO 9001 audit.



Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) Benchmarking

Through meeting the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) Benchmarking Requirements, the FSSC 22000 Scheme has been given full recognition since 2010. GFSI recognition demonstrates that the Scheme meets the highest standards globally, leading to international food industry acceptance. Furthermore, the Scheme is widely accepted by Accreditation Bodies worldwide and supported by essential stakeholders like FoodDrinkEurope (FDE) and the Consumer Brands Association (CBA).

The FSSC 22000 Scheme sets out the requirements for Certification Bodies, Accreditation Bodies, and Training Organizations to develop and implement its operations for auditing and certification of food safety management systems of organizations within the entire food supply chain. The issued certificate confirms that the organization’s food safety management system is in conformance with the Scheme requirements and that the organization can maintain compliance with these requirements.



From ISO 22000 to FSSC 22000

When already certified against ISO 22000, an organization only needs an additional review against technical specifications for sector PRPs, and the FSSC Additional Requirements to meet all Scheme requirements.