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EN 15593 certification for food packaging hygiene, from $800
For manufacturers of packaging that touches food: an on-site audit of how you prevent contamination of your products, with a certificate food customers recognise.
From $800Certified by EUROTECH
- Accredited by IAB and INTAQS
- Issuing certificates since 2004
- Online or on-site audits worldwide
- Verify any EUROTECH certificate
What EN 15593 certification covers
EN 15593 is a European standard that sets requirements for the management of hygiene in the production and storage of packaging for foodstuffs. It applies to manufacturers of films, bags, trays, bottles, caps, cartons, cans, labels that touch food and other food contact packaging, and to companies that store or print it.
The idea is simple: your packaging will hold food, so contamination in your plant can end up in someone's meal. The standard asks you to identify hygiene hazards in your process, whether physical such as glass, metal or wood splinters, chemical such as lubricants and cleaning agents, or microbiological, and to control them through a hazard analysis approach and prerequisite measures.
It also covers the basics around production: building and layout, cleaning, pest control, personal hygiene and protective clothing, maintenance, glass and brittle plastic control, foreign body detection where needed, storage and transport, traceability and handling of complaints and non-conforming product.
- Review of your hygiene risk assessment and hygiene management documentation
- On-site audit of production, printing, converting and warehousing
- Traceability test from finished packaging back to raw materials
- Certificate valid for three years, with yearly surveillance audits
- Listing on our verification portal
Scope is defined by product and process, for example extrusion and printing of polyethylene film for frozen food, or injection moulding of caps for beverages. Customers check that scope against the items they buy from you.
EN 15593, BRCGS Packaging or ISO 22000: choosing the right one
Food packaging makers usually face three options. EN 15593 is a focused hygiene standard, simpler to implement and often enough for customers who want evidence of hygiene control. BRCGS Packaging Materials and FSSC 22000 for packaging are GFSI-benchmarked schemes that large retailers and brand owners may require. ISO 22000 is the general food safety management standard, which can also be applied to packaging manufacture.
Ask your main customers which one they accept before you start. If they require a GFSI-recognised scheme, EN 15593 alone will not meet their requirement, but it is a strong base and the hygiene controls carry over. We certify EN 15593 and ISO 22000 directly; for BRCGS and FSSC 22000 we provide consultancy and certification is carried out by a third-party body.
EN 15593 also sits well with ISO 9001, which most packaging makers already hold. The quality system and the hygiene system can share document control, internal audit and management review.
Whichever route you take, keep the hygiene controls consistent across all lines. Customers notice when standards differ between lines.
What decides the price
EN 15593 certification with EUROTECH starts at $800. Audit time depends on the size and complexity of the plant.
- Number of employees in production and storage
- Processes: extrusion, moulding, printing, laminating, converting
- Number of production lines and sites
- Type of packaging and how directly it contacts food
- Travel for the on-site audit
We confirm audit days, travel and every fee in a written quote. A current hygiene risk assessment and complete glass and brittle plastic registers make the audit faster.
Plants that run several very different processes, such as extrusion, printing and lamination under one roof, usually need more audit time than single-process plants, because each process has its own hygiene hazards.
How EN 15593 food packaging hygiene works with us
Step 1
Scope and quote
We agree the products, processes and sites in scope and quote the EN 15593 audit in writing.
Step 2
Hygiene risk review
We review your hygiene hazard analysis, prerequisite measures and documentation.
Step 3
On-site audit
The auditor checks production hygiene, foreign body controls, records and traceability.
Step 4
Certificate and surveillance
After the decision you receive the certificate, with yearly surveillance audits.
Food contact rules in your markets
We audit EN 15593 for packaging manufacturers in the USA, Europe, Asia and Africa. Hygiene is only one part of food contact compliance. In the European Union, food contact materials must meet the framework regulation and specific measures such as the plastics regulation, with declarations of compliance and migration testing. In the USA, food contact substances are regulated by the FDA. Other markets have their own lists and limits.
EN 15593 does not replace these material rules, but customers often ask for both: proof that the material is suitable for food contact, and proof that it was produced hygienically. During the audit we check that you hold the declarations and test evidence your customers require.
Exporters should also check printing inks and adhesives against the rules of each destination market, since they can be a source of migration into food.
Customer specifications often add hygiene requirements beyond the standard, such as metal detection on every reel, specific pallet types or restrictions on wood. Bring these to the audit, because the system must show you meet them.
What to expect on audit day
The audit is carried out on site and starts in the production area. The auditor looks at entry hygiene and protective clothing, separation of food contact production from other work, condition of buildings and equipment, use of food-grade lubricants where product contact is possible, and how glass, brittle plastic and wood are controlled.
Records are then checked: cleaning and pest control, maintenance and hygienic clearance after repairs, foreign body checks, staff hygiene training, complaints and non-conforming product. A traceability test from a finished lot back to raw material batches is usually part of the audit.
Maintenance is a common source of findings. After any repair on a line, the area should be cleared of tools, parts and debris and checked before production restarts. The auditor will ask for these hygiene clearance records.
The auditor also checks how waste and rework are handled, since mixing rejected material back into production without control can introduce contamination.
Findings are graded and the certification decision rests on the evidence. You receive a written report explaining each finding.
Keeping the certificate
Review the hygiene risk assessment when you add a process, change raw materials or start supplying a new type of food customer. Keep glass and brittle plastic checks, cleaning and pest control on schedule, and investigate any complaint involving foreign bodies thoroughly.
Surveillance audits revisit production and sample changes since the last visit. Tell us about new lines or sites in good time, so they can be included.
Run internal audits across all areas at least once a year, and include a mock traceability exercise. Both give the surveillance auditor evidence that the system works between visits.
Keep supplier approvals for raw materials current.
Questions buyers ask
How much does EN 15593 certification cost?
With EUROTECH it starts at $800. Employees, processes, lines, packaging type and travel set the final price.
Is EN 15593 recognised by GFSI?
No. GFSI-benchmarked options for packaging include BRCGS Packaging Materials and FSSC 22000. Check what your customers require.
Who needs EN 15593?
Manufacturers, printers, converters and warehouses of packaging intended to come into contact with food.
Does EN 15593 cover migration testing?
No. It covers hygiene in production and storage. Material suitability for food contact is covered by food contact laws and testing.
Is the audit done on site?
Yes. Production hygiene and foreign body controls must be seen on site.
Can EN 15593 be combined with ISO 9001?
Yes. They share management processes, and an integrated audit is common for packaging makers.
Related services
- BRCGS
From $2,000
- ISO 22000 certification
From $800
- FSSC 22000
From $2,000
Get a quote for EN 15593 food packaging hygiene
Tell us your company, sites and the standard you need. We reply with a written quote and the audit plan.
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