Services / FSSC 22000
FSSC 22000 consultancy and certification, from $2,000
We prepare your food safety system for FSSC 22000 and arrange certification by a licensed certification body, so you can supply retailers and brands that require a GFSI-recognised scheme.
From $2,000Consultancy and third-party certification
- Accredited by IAB and INTAQS
- Issuing certificates since 2004
- Online or on-site audits worldwide
- Verify any EUROTECH certificate
What FSSC 22000 involves and what we deliver
FSSC 22000 is a food safety certification scheme owned by the Foundation FSSC and benchmarked by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI). Many large retailers and food brands require a GFSI-recognised certificate from their suppliers, and FSSC 22000 is one of the most widely used.
The scheme has three building blocks. ISO 22000 provides the food safety management system. A sector-specific prerequisite programme standard, from the ISO/TS 22002 series or an equivalent, sets the detailed hygiene and operating conditions for your type of business, for example food manufacturing, packaging manufacturing, farming or transport and storage. Additional FSSC requirements add topics such as food defence, food fraud mitigation, allergen management, environmental monitoring, food safety and quality culture, and the management of services and purchased materials.
Our role is to get your system ready for certification and to arrange the audit with a licensed certification body.
- Gap analysis against ISO 22000, the sector prerequisite programmes and FSSC additional requirements
- Support building or updating HACCP plans, prerequisite programmes, food defence and food fraud assessments
- Internal audit and management review support before certification
- Arrangement of the Stage 1 and Stage 2 audits with a licensed certification body
- Support closing any findings after the audit
Certification covers specific food chain categories, such as processing of perishable animal products, processing of ambient stable products, production of food packaging, or transport and storage. The category decides which prerequisite programme standard applies and how the audit is planned.
FSSC 22000, ISO 22000 or BRCGS
If your customers only ask for an internationally recognised food safety system, ISO 22000 on its own may be enough, and we certify it directly. If they ask for GFSI recognition, you need a benchmarked scheme such as FSSC 22000 or BRCGS.
FSSC 22000 suits companies that like the ISO management system approach and may already hold ISO 9001 or ISO 14001, because it uses the same structure. BRCGS is more prescriptive, with detailed clause requirements and a graded result, and is especially common with retailers in the United Kingdom and some other markets. Ask your main customers which scheme they prefer before you choose.
Moving from ISO 22000 to FSSC 22000 is a natural step: the management system carries over, and the work focuses on the sector prerequisite programmes and the additional requirements.
Some companies hold both FSSC 22000 and BRCGS to satisfy different customers. If that is your situation, we design the system so evidence serves both schemes, which keeps the effort manageable.
What decides the price
FSSC 22000 consultancy with EUROTECH starts at $2,000. The final price depends on your number of employees, the complexity of your processes and the scope of certification.
- Food chain category and product types
- Number of HACCP studies and production lines
- Employees and shifts
- State of your current system: starting from ISO 22000, from HACCP only, or from scratch
- Number of sites and travel
The audit fee of the certification body depends on its audit-day calculation, which follows the scheme rules for your category and size.
Sites in higher-risk categories, or with several categories on one site, usually need more preparation time and longer audits than simple, single-category sites.
Sites already certified to ISO 22000 usually need the least preparation.
How FSSC 22000 works with us
Step 1
Gap analysis
We compare your system with ISO 22000, the sector programmes and the FSSC additional requirements.
Step 2
Prerequisite programmes
We support updates to HACCP plans, prerequisite programmes, food defence and food fraud.
Step 3
Certification audit
A licensed certification body carries out Stage 1 and Stage 2, which we arrange.
Step 4
Ongoing compliance
After certification we help you prepare for yearly surveillance and unannounced audits.
Customers and food law by market
We support food businesses in the USA, Europe, Asia and Africa. The scheme is the same everywhere, but customers and laws differ. Retailers in some countries strongly prefer one GFSI scheme over another, and export customers may add their own requirements on top, such as specific allergen rules, testing or approved supplier lists.
FSSC 22000 requires you to meet the food law of the countries where you produce and sell. In the USA that includes FDA registration and the preventive controls rules; in the European Union the hygiene regulations and labelling rules; elsewhere the national food law. The audit samples this through specifications, labels, test results and records.
For exporters, we help you list the legal and customer requirements for each market so the system covers them from the start.
Food fraud and food defence assessments are especially relevant for exporters and importers, because long supply chains create more opportunities for adulteration and tampering. We help you assess vulnerabilities in your actual supply routes.
Customer-specific requirements should be recorded in specifications and checked at each audit.
What to expect from the certification audits
Certification follows the familiar two stages. Stage 1 checks readiness and the documented system; Stage 2, on site, checks that the system works in practice across production, hygiene, maintenance, laboratory, storage and dispatch.
FSSC 22000 adds an important rule: at least one audit in each three-year cycle must be unannounced. Your site has to be ready for an auditor on any working day, which is exactly what the scheme is designed to encourage.
Auditors pay close attention to food safety culture, allergen control, environmental monitoring and how you manage changes. Findings are graded, and minor and major nonconformities must be closed within set deadlines. The certification decision is made by the certification body on the evidence.
Environmental monitoring is checked where the scheme requires it, for example in sites producing ready-to-eat foods, with sampling plans, results and actions after positive findings.
The certification body also checks that your food safety and quality culture objectives exist, are measured and are reviewed by management, as required by the current version of the scheme.
Keeping the certificate
Surveillance audits take place every year, with recertification in the third year. Keep verification activities, internal audits, management review, environmental monitoring and food safety culture actions running between audits.
The scheme is updated periodically, and certified sites must move to new versions within the transition periods set by the Foundation FSSC. We keep track of scheme changes and help you update your system in time.
Practise unannounced readiness by running your own surprise internal checks. They show whether daily practice matches the system on a normal working day.
Keep the scheme-specific records up to date as well.
How this service works: EUROTECH provides the consultancy. FSSC 22000 certification is carried out by a certification body licensed by the Foundation FSSC, which we work with. EUROTECH may carry out the audit for that body.
Questions buyers ask
How much does FSSC 22000 cost?
Our consultancy starts at $2,000. Employees, process complexity and scope set the final price.
Is FSSC 22000 recognised by GFSI?
Yes. FSSC 22000 is a GFSI-benchmarked scheme, which is why many retailers and brands accept it.
What is the difference between ISO 22000 and FSSC 22000?
FSSC 22000 uses ISO 22000 and adds sector-specific prerequisite programmes and additional scheme requirements.
Who issues the FSSC 22000 certificate?
A certification body licensed by the Foundation FSSC. EUROTECH provides the consultancy and arranges the audit.
Are FSSC 22000 audits unannounced?
At least one audit in each three-year certification cycle must be unannounced.
Can FSSC 22000 apply to packaging makers?
Yes. There is a category for food packaging manufacturing with its own prerequisite programme standard.
Related services
- ISO 22000 certification
From $800
- BRCGS
From $2,000
- GLOBALG.A.P.
From $2,000
Get a quote for FSSC 22000
Tell us your company, sites and the standard you need. We reply with a written quote and the audit plan.
Prefer to talk? Call +1 307 205 1833
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