What is the Difference Between ISO 22000 and FSSC 22000?

The main difference between ISO 22000 and FSSC 22000 is that ISO 22000 is not GFSI recognised and FSSC 22000 is GFSI recognised. What does this mean and is it important?

Other differences lie in the composition of ISO 22000 and FSSC 22000 standards. Let’s have a look at each and then ultimately the differences between the two standards.

ASC Consultants offers excellent ISO 22000 and FSSC 22000 solutions; ranging from training, consulting, auditing, implementation and the most popular; our document templates toolkits.

ISO 22000 Explained

The ISO 22000 standard was first issued in 2005 and last updated in 2018. Thus, ISO 22000: 2018 is the latest ISO 22000 Standard.

The ISO 22000:2018 is a Food Safety Management System applied by the food industry across the value chain. It focuses on applying the fundamentals of Quality Systems as per ISO 9001 in managing a Food Safety Management System.

ISO 22000: 2018 places more emphasis on management systems, which include policies and procedures. The standard references a list of prerequisite programmes (PRPs) that must be implemented but does not outline how these PRPs should be implemented.

In other words, ISO 22000: 2018 has to be used in combination with ISO technical standards or different Good Manufacturing Practises standards (GMPs).

In essence, a company could choose any GMP standard with minimal requirements as long as it covers the list of GMPs covered on the ISO 22000 standard.

Furthermore, ISO 22000 certification on its own is not recognised by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI); an industry body tasked with ensuring that GFSI certified certification programmes apply similar standards during certification.

What is FSSC 22000 ?

FSSC 22000 Certification

The FSSC 22000 version 5.1 was published on 3 June 2019, and certified organisations were audited on it as from 1 January 2020.

The GFSI recognises FSSC 22000 certification.

The FSSC 22000 Standard consists of independent standards such as ISO 22000, technical standards and additional requirements.

The primary standard used to attain FSSC 22000 version 5.1 certification is ISO 22000:2018, in combination with either one of the ISO Technical standards below, depending on the sector:

  • ISO/TS 22002-1:2009, Food manufacturing
  • ISO/TS 22002-2:2013, Catering
  • ISO/TS 22002-3:2011, Farming
  • ISO/TS 22002-4:2013, Food packaging manufacturing
  • ISO/TS 22002-6:2016, Feed and animal food production
  • PAS 221:2013, Retail/supermarkets
  • NEN/NTA 8059:2016, Transport and storage (ISO 22002-5 on Oct 19).

FSSC 22000 also has some other additional requirements listed below:

  1. Management of Services
  2. Product Labelling
  3. Food Defence – Threat Assessment
  4. Food Fraud Mitigation
  5. Logo Use
  6. Management of Allergens (food chain categories C, E, FI, G, I & K)
  7. Environmental Monitoring food chain categories C, I & K)
  8. Formulation of Products (food chain category D)
  9. Transport and delivery

It is important to note that you would need to implement the above standards and additional requirements, in combination with customer requirements, and your country’s laws and related regulations.

4 Key Differences Between ISO 22000 and FSSC 22000

  1. The ISO 22000 standard only covers management systems. It can be used in combination with any other GMP standard as long as the PRPs are implemented according to the standard.
  2. The GSFI does not recognise ISO 22000 certification.
  3. FSSC 22000 consists of the ISO 22000:2018 standard, specific ISO Technical standards, and additional requirements.
  4. The GFSI recognises FSSC 22000 certification.

Conclusion

It is important to note that both these standards ensure that food safety and quality is not compromised in any way.

How do you choose between ISO 22000 and FSSC 22000?

What do you need to do to transition from ISO 22000 to FSSC 22000?

How do you implement Food Safety Management Systems like ISO 22000 or FSSC 22000?

We can answer all your questions with our cost-effective food safety management systems solutions. ASC Consultants are experts in all Food Safety solutions. Get in touch with us.

Please drop us a comment in the comment section at the end of this article if you have any questions or need more information.



7 thoughts on “What is the Difference Between ISO 22000 and FSSC 22000?”

    • Thank you very much for the comment. We are glad to hear you found it helpful. Have a great day!

      ASC Consultants

      Reply
  1. Key differences between ISO 22000 and FSSC 22000, two essential standards in the field of food safety management systems. It’s crucial for organizations in the food industry to understand these distinctions in order to make informed decisions regarding their certification choices.

    The article accurately highlights that ISO 22000 is a comprehensive standard applicable to all organizations in the food chain, emphasizing the importance of managing food safety hazards and ensuring product safety throughout the entire supply chain.

    Reply
    • Hi ISO Certifier,

      Thank you for the comment. It is much appreciated.

      Have a great day!

      ASC Consultants

      Reply
    • Hello Cherry-Ann

      It basically depends on what your market/customer requirements are. Whether they want you to have a GFSI recognised certification scheme in place or not. If your customer requires a comprehensive GFSI recognised certification, then you would need to go for FSSC 22000 otherwise you can implement ISO 22000:2018 and be audited against it. In any case, ISO 22000: 2018 already forms a large part of the FSSC 22000 requirements.

      I hope this helps.

      Thank you.

      Kind regards,
      ASC Team

      Reply

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