Management System Certification
ISO 22000 / FSSC 22000 – Food Safety Management System
HACCP discipline inside a certifiable management system, from farm to fork.
Why organisations certify
Key benefits of ISO 22000
What certification actually returns, stated specifically rather than generically.
Credibility
Certification proves your food safety controls were designed to Codex HACCP principles and are independently verified — the language every food buyer speaks.
Market Access
Organised retail, export buyers and e-commerce grocery platforms make FSMS certification a listing condition. FSSC 22000 opens the GFSI-gated tier above that.
Risk Reduction
Systematic hazard analysis, validated critical limits and verified recall capability reduce the probability and the cost of a contamination event or product withdrawal.
Operational Efficiency
Fewer holds, rejections and reworks; clearer shelf-life justification; less product written off because traceability could not isolate the affected lot.
Customer Trust
Consumer-facing brands are one incident away from lasting damage. Demonstrable food safety governance is reputational insurance.
Regulatory Compliance
The system aligns with FSSAI licensing and Schedule 4 requirements, giving you a single evidence base for regulatory inspection.
How it works
Our process for ISO 22000
Every stage has a defined purpose, a realistic duration and a stated output.
- 01
Application & Quotation
2–3 working days
You submit an application form covering scope, headcount, sites and shift pattern. We review complexity, confirm audit-day allocation against accreditation rules and issue a fixed quotation.
- 02
Contract & Audit Planning
1 week
On acceptance we appoint a lead auditor with verified technical competence for your sector, agree audit dates and share the audit plan in advance.
- 03
Stage 1 — Readiness Review
1 day (typical)
A documentation and readiness assessment: scope confirmation, review of your management system documents, internal audit and management review evidence, and identification of anything that would block Stage 2.
- 04
Stage 2 — Certification Audit
2–5 days (scope dependent)
On-site assessment of the system in operation. We sample processes, interview staff, examine records and raise findings graded as major, minor or opportunity for improvement.
- 05
Corrective Action & Decision
2–4 weeks
You close out any nonconformities with root-cause analysis and evidence. An independent certification decision-maker — not the audit team — reviews the file and grants certification.
- 06
Certificate Issue
3–5 working days
A three-year certificate is issued and your organisation is listed on our public certified-client directory for verification by your customers.
- 07
Surveillance & Recertification
Annual
Surveillance audits at 12 and 24 months confirm the system remains effective. A full recertification audit is completed before the three-year expiry.
Preparation
Documents required
What we will ask to see. Having these ready before Stage 1 is the single biggest factor in a certification that runs to schedule.
- Completed and signed application form
- Certificate of incorporation / business registration
- Organisation chart and scope statement
- Management system manual or equivalent documented information
- Documented processes, procedures and work instructions
- Internal audit reports covering the full scope
- Management review minutes
- Records of corrective actions and continual improvement
- Applicable legal and regulatory licences for your activity
- Valid FSSAI licence covering the certified scope
- Food safety policy and food safety team appointment
- Product descriptions, intended use and process flow diagrams (site-verified)
- Hazard analysis with PRP / OPRP / CCP determination and justification
- HACCP plan with validated critical limits, monitoring and corrective actions
- Prerequisite programme records: pest control, cleaning, personal hygiene, maintenance
- Water potability and product test reports from a recognised laboratory
- Traceability records and mock recall exercise report
- Allergen management and labelling controls
Not sure whether your scope is right?
Scope is the single thing most often got wrong, and it appears verbatim on your certificate. We will review yours before you apply, at no charge — it costs us less than fixing it at recertification.
Talk to a specialistOften certified together
Related standards
Standards sharing the High Level Structure can be operated as one integrated system and audited together, which reduces total audit days.
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Certification of a Codex-compliant HACCP system with validated critical control points and prerequisite programmes.
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Assessment and support for Halal conformity covering ingredients, process segregation and supply chain traceability.
Learn moreCommon questions
ISO 22000 — frequently asked questions
Direct answers, including where the honest answer is inconvenient for us.
HACCP is a hazard-control methodology, not a management system. ISO 22000 wraps HACCP inside a full management system with leadership, planning, competence, verification and improvement. FSSC 22000 is ISO 22000 plus the sector-specific ISO/TS 22002 prerequisite programme and additional scheme requirements — and unlike ISO 22000 on its own, it is GFSI-recognised.
Yes. A valid FSSAI licence covering the products and site in your certification scope is a compliance obligation. We verify it during Stage 1; an expired or scope-mismatched licence will block progression.
Yes. Traceability that has never been tested is an assumption. ISO 22000 requires verification of the traceability system, and we expect a documented mock recall with a stated timeframe, mass-balance reconciliation and a conclusion on effectiveness.
Yes. ISO 22000 covers the whole food chain including food service. The prerequisite programmes applicable to catering (ISO/TS 22002-2) differ from those for manufacturing, and the audit is scoped accordingly.
Question not answered here? Ask a certification specialist — we answer technical questions without requiring an enquiry first.
Talk to us
Talk to a certification expert
Tell us your scope and headcount and we will send a fixed quotation for ISO 22000 with the audit-day calculation shown.
- Quotation within 2–3 working days
- IAF MD 5 audit-day calculation included
- Full three-year cycle cost, not just the first audit
- Your details are used only to answer this enquiry
Next step
Ready to certify to ISO 22000?
We will scope it honestly, show you the calculation behind the price, and tell you plainly if the timeline you need is not achievable.