What is FSSC 22000?

4 February 2025

Lets start at the beginning. What does FSSC stand for? FSSC stands for Food Safety System Certification. FSSC 22000 is a Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) benchmarked Food Safety Certification Scheme which has been developed to meet the needs of organisations across the Food sector, be that packaging, manufacturing, storage, distribution or agenting and brokering.

The standard combines ISO 22000, the international food safety management standard, with additional requirements from sector specific Pre-Requisite Programs also referred to as PRPs (e.g. ISO/TS 22002-x series and BSI PAS 221) and additional FSSC specific requirements.

ISO 22000 forms the foundations, providing the framework to manage food safety.

PRPs (Pre-Requisite Programs) are sector specific and address specific needs for each associated industry i.e. manufacturing, transport, storage and packaging.

FSSC specific requirements which cover elements such as food fraud, food defence and the management of any services or purchased materials.

Global Recognition and Trust

FSSC 22000 is a GFSI recognised certification scheme. This helps open the doors to working with international brands, retailers and food processors.

Compliance and Risk Reduction

by obtaining and maintaining FSSC certification you demonstrate that your business adheres to stringent standards which then in turn help reduce the likelihood of contamination and recalls.

Supply Chain Management

FSSC 22000 requires you to assess the risk not only within your organisation but also with your suppliers and other external partners giving you increased visibility and confidence.

Solid base to work from

Get a copy of the standard, this gives you the base to work from so you can then perform a gap analysis and identify the areas needed for improvement. The standard is freely available on the website of FSSC

Implement Food Safety Management System

If you don’t have one already, Implement a Food Safety Management System which meets the FSSC requirements, this includes everything from HACCP to documenting procedures.

Internal Audit

Conduct an Internal Audit before your third party audit to brush up on areas in your business before they are raised as non-compliant.

Who can do my FSSC 22000 audit?

We can! Kiwa can offer the third party certification audit for your business. Get in touch with our team to understand how we can support your business.