The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), which is the most influential interest group for food retail companies, has officially recognised The Food Safety System Certification 22000 standard (FSSC 22000).

FSSC 22000 is managed by the Foundation for Food Safety Certification and was officially released on 15 May.

On May 27, the GFSI board of directors granted conditional recognition of FSSC 22000, as long as the scheme meets the minimum content requirements as stated in the GFSI guidance document version 5. This document outlines aspects such as frequency and duration of audits, auditor qualification criteria and the minimum content of an audit report.

The GFSI board now encourages the Foundation for Food Safety Certification to fully implement the scheme.

What is FSSC 22000
FSSC 22000 is a new food safety certification scheme specifically targeting the food manufacturing sector. It is based on the existing internationally recognised standard ISO 22000, the PAS 220 and ISO TS 22003.

Certification according to FSSC 22000 will be accredited under the standard ISO guide 65 (process certification), and will be limited to food manufacturers because the PAS 220 only covers the prerequisite programmes for food making.

Manufacturers that are already certified against ISO 22000 will only need a validation of the ISO 22000 audit and an additional review against the PAS 220 requirements in order to meet the new food safety standard FSSC 22000.
Scheme documents and further information on the scheme can be found on The Foundation for Food Safety website www.fssc22000.com.

How can DNV Help?
We provide several services related to food safety:
• Training on FSSC 22000, ISO 22000 and PAS 220
• Gap-analysis to help you understand your best route to certification
• Certification activities according to FSSC 22000

Read more about FSSC 22000 at our food safety pages.

Date: 01 July 2009