FSSC 22000 Food Safety

Benefits of food safety under FSSC 22000

Food safety management in accordance with the FSSC 22000 standard offers the following benefits:

  • Reducing the risk of incidents. Food safety helps to minimise the risk of accidents and incidents. A food safety system compliant with FSSC 22000 meets our customers’ requirements for food production.
  • Enhancing reputation, sales and customer confidence. Food safety through FSSC 22000 demonstrates that best practices in the food industry are in place to ensure food safety.
  • Cost reduction. Food safety helps to optimise and streamline food production to a high standard of quality. Food safety reduces costs by minimising errors and improving traceability throughout the supply chain.
  • It can be integrated into a quality management system in accordance with the ISO 9001 standard.

Requirements of the FSSC 22000 standard

FSSC 22000 is based on ISO 22000 and BSI PAS 220, which specify the requirements for a food safety management system. The main requirements are:

  • To plan, implement, operate, maintain and update a food safety management system (FSMS). We would highlight that this involves food hazard control, PRPs (Prerequisite Programmes), food traceability and compliance with food regulations.
  • Implement the PRPs and verify the effectiveness of PRP practices and other control measures.
  • Audit the system periodically, either internally, by a certification body, customers or third parties.

The FSSC 22000 standard, unlike ISO 22000:

  • Establishes specific guidelines to meet requirements throughout the food chain (customers, retail industry suppliers, government, auditors, etc.) with the aim of ensuring transparency and high food quality.
  • It can be used by all organisations in the supply chain from farm to fork.
  • Unannounced audits. Unlike BRC and IFS certification, at least one of the follow-up audits by the FSSC 22000 certification body is unannounced. However, the initial audit and the recertification audit can never be unannounced.
  • Prevention of food fraud. The certification requires a documented procedure for assessing vulnerability to food fraud, in order to identify potential vulnerabilities and prioritise food fraud mitigation measures.
  • Mandatory rotation of auditors: auditors may not audit the same organisation for more than three consecutive years.

The FSSC 22000 scheme has been approved as a GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative) certification, alongside other food safety schemes such as BRC and IFS.

Food safety consultancy

As food safety consultants, we provide a comprehensive FSSC 22000 consultancy service for you:
FSSC 22000 Food Safety Certificate
FSSC 22000 food safety certification to implement a practical and user-friendly food safety management system with “Gesttic”.
Internal or supplier FSSC 22000 food safety audits conducted by auditors with over 20 years’ experience in management systems.
ISO Outsourcing. Save costs by outsourcing the duties of the FSSC 22000 Food Safety Manager.

Thanks to our experience as consultants, we provide training tailored to your specific needs. Highlights include:

  • Internal auditor course.
  • Food handling course.
  • Allergy awareness course.

We can deliver the course in your preferred format: face-to-face training, in-company training, online training via our training platform, or blended learning.