ISO 22000 and FSSC 22000: What Is the Difference?
What Is ISO 22000?
ISO 22000 – Food safety management systems – Requirements for any organization in the food chain is an international standard developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), an independent, non-governmental international organization.
The ISO 22000:2018 (version reaffirmed in 2023) standard specifies requirements for a food safety management system that combines interactive communication, system management (including ISO 9001 elements), prerequisite program, and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles to ensure food safety along the food chain. The requirements of this standard are generic, and the standard is applicable to any organization in the food chain, from farm to fork. As per Food safety ISO 22000:2018 brochure, published through ISO, key potential benefits of using the standard include:
- The ability to consistently provide food-related products and services that are safe and meet regulatory requirements
- Improved management of risks in food safety processes
- Demonstrating strong links to the United Nations’ Codex Alimentarius, which develops food safety guidelines for governments
What Is FSSC 22000?
The FSSC 22000 certification scheme/program uses the ISO 22000 standard and incorporates technical specifications for sector-specific Pre-Requisite Programs, or PRPs, such as ISO/TS 22002-1 Prerequisite programmes on food safety – Part 1: Food manufacturing, ISO/TS 22002-6:2016, Prerequisite programmes on food safety – Part 6: Food and animal food production, and others. The scheme further defines specific requirements, such as allergens and food fraud requirements.
In summary, the FSSC 22000 certification encompasses ISO 22000, the relevant PRPs, and the FSSC Additional Requirements. The scheme is owned by Foundation FSSC, global non-profit and independent entity based in the Netherlands with several regional representatives.
Certification by an ISO/IEC 17021-1 accredited certification body is mandatory under the FSSC 22000 scheme. Additionally, the accreditation body must be a full signatory to the IAF MLA for the scope of FSSC 22000, providing an extra level of assurance that certification is issued by competent and impartial accreditation body. ANAB is one of several accreditation bodies signatory to the IAF MLA for FSSC 22000.
One of the FSSC 22000 scheme’s central values is its recognition by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) and the International Accreditation Forum (IAF). The IAF ensures that its AB members are accrediting bodies that are competent to do the work and are free from conflict of interest. GFSI benchmarking recognition demonstrates that the scheme meets global principles for food safety, leading to international food industry acceptance.
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ANAB offers accreditation for ISO 22000:2018 as well as accreditation for FSSC 22000.
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