FSSC 22000 Food Safety System Certification

FSSC 22000 Food Safety System

Food safety management for the food and beverage industry

The Food Safety System Certification

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

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FSSC 22000 V5.1

FSSC has published version 5.1 of FSSC 22000. The main reasons for the release of v5.1 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 process

The FSSC 22000 V5.1 documents (scheme manual, annexes and guidance) are available on the FSSC 22000 website in the certification scheme documents section.

The final date to audit against FSSC 22000 V5 is 31 March 2021. Upgrade audits to FSSC 22000 v5.1 will take place from 1 April 2021 until 31 March 2022.

Benefits of FSSC 22000

Certification to FSSC 22000 demonstrates a commitment to food safety delivers 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.

The journey to certification

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?

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Popular FSSC 22000 training courses

Our tutors provide the knowledge and skills you need to effectively develop, implement and maintain the FSSC 22000 scheme. Our food safety training courses are regularly revised and updated to reflect current industry expectations and our delivery techniques will make sure that you fully understand the intent and application of the criteria for the FSSC 22000 Scheme. Courses include:

BSI also offers training to support you in implementing the requirements:

As of 1 April 2021, BSI will discontinue FSSC v5 training courses.

Learn more about our food safety training courses

Why BSI?

The food industry impacts every person on the planet. Though what the world’s population may eat may differ depending on the geography, wealth, age, gender and availability of goods, no other sector plays such a vital role in all of our day-today lives and culture. Economically, food represents 10% of global GDP (valued at US$48 trillion by the World Bank).

But the food sector also faces significant challenges. Each year, food-borne illness makes one in ten people ill and is the cause of death for millions around the world. Population growth projections and an increasing middle class suggest that the demand for food will increase 70% by 2050. And, consumers are increasingly conscious about what goes into their food, how it’s made, its impact on ecosystems and where it comes from.

BSI believes the world deserves food that is safe, sustainable and socially responsible. We support the food sector by developing and publishing standards of best practice, supply chain solutions as well as training and certification to not only the most popular food safety standards, but other business improvement standards that work together to make organizations more resilient.

Working in 172 countries, we pride ourselves on the expertise, integrity and professionalism of our people. Our mission is to help our 80,000 clients, ranging from high-profile global brands to small local companies, survive and prosper in today’s world.