Services / ISO 22000 certification
ISO 22000 certification for food safety management, from $800
A food safety management certificate for producers, processors, packers, caterers, transport and storage companies, audited by EUROTECH.
From $800Certified by EUROTECH
- Accredited by IAB and INTAQS
- Issuing certificates since 2004
- Online or on-site audits worldwide
- Verify any EUROTECH certificate
What ISO 22000 certification covers
ISO 22000 sets the requirements for a food safety management system. It combines the HACCP principles with prerequisite programmes and a management system built on the same structure as ISO 9001. Any organization in the food chain can use it: farms, ingredient makers, processors, packers, caterers, retailers, storage and transport companies, and makers of packaging or equipment that touches food.
The audit checks two layers. The first is your hazard control: the hazard analysis, the critical control points and operational prerequisite programmes you set, their limits, monitoring, corrections and verification. The second is the system around it: food safety policy, objectives, communication along the chain, emergency preparedness, traceability, withdrawal and recall, internal audit and management review.
Prerequisite programmes get close attention, because they hold the basics in place: cleaning and sanitation, pest control, personal hygiene, maintenance, water quality, allergen management, waste and the layout of premises.
- Stage 1 review of your hazard analysis, HACCP plan and prerequisite programmes
- Stage 2 on-site audit of production, hygiene and records
- Certification decision and three-year certificate
- Certificate listed on verify.eurotechcertification.com
- Yearly surveillance audits and recertification
The certificate scope names the products or services and the food chain category, for example production of chilled ready meals, or storage and distribution of frozen food. Buyers check that scope against what they buy from you.
ISO 22000 or FSSC 22000: which one to choose
This is the most common question we get on food safety. ISO 22000 is the international standard. FSSC 22000 is a certification scheme that uses ISO 22000 plus sector-specific prerequisite programme standards and extra scheme requirements, and it is benchmarked by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI).
If your customers are large retailers or brand owners that require a GFSI-recognised certificate, they will usually ask for FSSC 22000 or another GFSI scheme such as BRCGS, not ISO 22000 alone. If your customers ask for an internationally recognised food safety system without naming GFSI, ISO 22000 is often enough and is simpler to maintain.
EUROTECH certifies ISO 22000 directly. For FSSC 22000 and BRCGS we provide consultancy and certification is carried out by a third-party certification body. Check your buyer's requirement before you start, and we will tell you which route fits.
A practical point: if you expect to need FSSC 22000 within a year or two, tell us. Building the system to ISO 22000 with the sector prerequisite programmes in mind avoids rework later.
What sets the price
ISO 22000 certification with EUROTECH starts at $800. Food safety audits are sized by the number of HACCP studies as well as by headcount.
- Number of HACCP studies, roughly one per product group or process line with different hazards
- Food chain category: primary production, processing, catering, storage and transport carry different audit time
- Employees, including seasonal staff in peak periods
- Number of sites and production lines
- Travel, since ISO 22000 Stage 2 audits are carried out on site
We confirm audit days, travel and all fees for the three-year cycle in a written quote. Having your HACCP plans, prerequisite programme records and verification results organized by product line shortens the audit noticeably.
Seasonal businesses should tell us their peak months. Auditing during production rather than during a shutdown gives a fair picture of the system and avoids a repeat visit.
How ISO 22000 certification works with us
Step 1
Gap analysis
We confirm products, lines and sites, size the ISO 22000 audit and send a written quote.
Step 2
Prerequisite programmes
Stage 1 reviews your hazard analysis, HACCP plans and prerequisite programme records.
Step 3
Certification audit
Stage 2 on site checks hygiene, CCP monitoring, traceability and verification in practice.
Step 4
Ongoing compliance
After the decision you receive the ISO 22000 certificate, with yearly surveillance audits.
Food law and buyer requirements by market
We audit ISO 22000 for food businesses in the USA, Europe, Asia and Africa. ISO 22000 does not replace food law; it requires you to know the statutory and regulatory requirements that apply to your products and to meet them.
In the USA, facilities that manufacture, process, pack or hold food generally need to register with the FDA and follow the preventive controls rules, which ISO 22000 supports but does not replace. In the European Union, the hygiene regulations and HACCP-based procedures apply, along with labelling and contaminant limits. In other markets, national food authorities set their own rules.
The auditor samples your legal compliance through specifications, labels, allergen statements, test results against legal limits and records of authority inspections.
For exporters, buyers in the destination market often add their own requirements on top of the law: approved supplier lists, specific allergen rules, or certain tests per batch. Bring those customer requirements to the audit, because ISO 22000 expects you to meet them too.
What to expect on audit day
ISO 22000 Stage 2 is carried out on site and usually starts on the production floor. The auditor watches hygiene practices at entry points, checks that critical control points are monitored as the plan says, looks at the condition of equipment and buildings, and asks operators what they do when a limit is exceeded.
Records are then traced in both directions. The auditor picks a finished batch and follows it back to raw material lots, then picks a raw material and follows it forward to customers. A mock recall result from the last twelve months helps here.
Allergen control is one of the most common topics. The auditor checks how allergens are identified in recipes and raw materials, how cross-contact is prevented on shared lines, how cleaning between allergen and non-allergen runs is verified and how labels are checked before release.
Findings are graded and certification is decided on the evidence. You receive a written report that explains every finding and agreed corrective actions with dates.
Keeping the certificate
Between audits, update the hazard analysis whenever products, raw materials, equipment or processes change, keep verification activities going, review customer complaints and run internal audits. Surveillance audits look at all of these, plus any incidents, withdrawals or recalls since the last visit.
Validation and verification are easy to confuse. Validation shows that a control measure can work, for example that a cooking time and temperature kill the target pathogen. Verification shows that it did work in practice, for example through temperature records and test results. The surveillance auditor checks both.
The current edition is ISO 22000:2018. It was confirmed by ISO after its last review and remains in use. If you later need FSSC 22000 for a retail customer, an ISO 22000 system is a strong base: the scheme adds sector prerequisite programmes and additional requirements on top of it.
Questions buyers ask
How much does ISO 22000 certification cost?
With EUROTECH it starts at $800. HACCP studies, food chain category, staff, sites and travel set the final price.
Is ISO 22000 recognised by GFSI?
ISO 22000 on its own is not a GFSI-benchmarked scheme. FSSC 22000, which builds on ISO 22000, is. Check whether your buyer requires GFSI recognition.
Is HACCP the same as ISO 22000?
No. HACCP is a method for controlling food safety hazards. ISO 22000 includes HACCP and adds prerequisite programmes and a full management system.
Can ISO 22000 be audited online?
Document reviews can run online, but the Stage 2 certification audit is carried out on site so the auditor can see hygiene and controls in operation.
Does ISO 22000 replace FDA food facility registration?
No. Registration and FDA rules are legal requirements; ISO 22000 is a voluntary certification that helps you meet them.
Who can use ISO 22000?
Any organization in the food chain, including farms, processors, caterers, storage, transport and makers of food contact packaging.
Related services
- FSSC 22000
From $2,000
- BRCGS
From $2,000
- Halal certification
From $1,500
Get a quote for ISO 22000 certification
Tell us your company, sites and the standard you need. We reply with a written quote and the audit plan.
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