The Food Safety System Certification (FSSC 22000) for food and feed safety/quality management is an internationally recognized scheme for food safety certification applicable to all organizations in the food chain, regardless of size and complexity. This scheme sets out requirements to develop, implement and operate a food safety management system.

BSI certifies to the following FSSC categories:

• Processing of perishable animal products
• Processing of perishable plant products
• Processing of perishable animal and plant products (mixed products)
• Processing of ambient stable products
• Provision of transport and storage services for perishable food and feed
• Provision of transport and storage services for ambient stable food, feed and packaging materials
• Production of food packaging and packaging material
• Production of (bio)chemicals

FSSC 22000 requirements reflect industry best practice and are made up of a series of separate components audited as a single system including:

• ISO 22000 Food Safety Management System - requirements for any organization in the food chain
• Industry-specific ISO and PAS Pre-requisite Programs (PRPs)
• Additional scheme requirements for site services, personnel, supplied materials, food defense, food fraud prevention, allergen management and food labelling

FSSC has published version 6 of the FSSC 22000. The main reasons for the release of v6 are to:

• Strengthen the licensing process and the integrity program
• Comply with GFSI Benchmarking Requirements (Version 2020.1)
• Include of the most recent Board of Stakeholders list of decisions and continual improvement processs

The final date to audit against FSSC 22000 v6 is 31 March 2021. Upgrade audits to FSSC 22000 v6 will take place from 1 April 2021 until 31 March 2022.

The FSSC 22000 v6 documents (scheme manual, annexes and guidance) are available on the FSSC 22000 website.

Certification to FSSC 22000 demonstrates a commitment to food safety and a variety of benefits that will impact different parts of your organization.

FSSC 22000 implementation benefits

• Provides a systematic methodology to effectively identify and manage food safety risks
• ISO-based certification model can be used across the whole food supply chain
• Recognized by the GFSI and by the European cooperation for Accreditation (EA)
• Flexibility allowing you to determine how your business will meet the scheme requirements for the structure and documentation of your food safety management system

FSSC 22000 operational benefits

• Facilitates internal benchmarking and management through consistent application across multiple/international sites
• Promotes the review of and continual improvement of your food safety management system

FSSC 22000 organizational benefits

• Shows your commitment to food safety, providing confidence to your customers
• Improved employee engagement, increasing awareness of food risks and promotion of safety
• Commitment to continuous improvement of the food safety system and its performance

Achievable

FSSC 22000 takes a risk-based, systems approach, providing organizations with a clear path towards achieving certification. Many food businesses throughout the supply chain have sought and maintained certification to ISO 22000, with certification to the FSSC 22000 scheme the next logical step towards best practice food safety certification.

Supported by customers

Many food industry organisations support the FSSC 22000 scheme as industry best practice for food safety and actively seek this GFSI certification as a pre-requisite to their supplier approval process.

Appropriate

The FSSC 22000 scheme is developed by industry stakeholders ensuring it provides pragmatic and relevant audit criteria while meeting current global food industry expectations. Because the scheme is based on food-specific ISO standards that are revised on a regular basis, the scheme reflects up-to-date business management principles to help you meet the expectations and needs of customers.

Cost effective

Industry recognized and accepted certification reduces the need for and expense of duplicate audits. Audits are completed by local BSI-trained and approved auditors to enable an internationally accepted standard to be audited at local rates.

Whether you’re ready for the next step in best practice food safety management or you’re more concerned about meeting the requirements of your customers or protecting consumers, certifying to the FSSC 22000 Scheme can drive meaningful change in your organization. From an initial introduction to the standard through to training and certification, no matter how far along you are, BSI can support your journey. Want to know more about the requirements of the standard, the steps to certification or how BSI is here to help? 

Email us bsi.za@bsigroup.com