ISO 22000:2018 — Food Safety Management

ISO 22000 is the international standard. FSSC 22000 is a GFSI-recognised scheme that adds additional requirements on top of ISO 22000. CAS offers both — and ISO 22000 certification is excellent preparation for FSSC 22000. FSSC 22000 itself is a non-accredited service CAS coordinates through a partner certification body, outside the EGAC accredited scope.

CAS is accredited by EGAC for all food chain categories A through K as defined in ISO 22003-1:2022 Annex A — covering the complete food chain.

Per ISO 22003-1:2022 §B.3.2, the first HACCP study is included in the base duration (TD). Each additional study adds TH days (0.25–0.50 depending on category).

The audit checks that your food safety management system meets the requirements of ISO 22000:2018. This covers the management system clauses (context, leadership, planning, support, performance evaluation, improvement) and the operational core: prerequisite programmes, traceability, emergency preparedness, hazard analysis, the hazard control plan with CCPs and OPRPs, monitoring, verification and handling of nonconformities. Auditors look for evidence that controls work in production.

No. HACCP is a set of principles for identifying and controlling food safety hazards. ISO 22000:2018 combines HACCP principles with prerequisite programmes (PRPs) and a management system framework, so it covers leadership, planning, resources, communication and continual improvement as well as hazard control. HACCP is therefore one component of an ISO 22000 system.

Yes. ISO 22000 applies to any organisation in the food chain — primary producers (farming, fishing), processors, manufacturers, distributors, retailers, catering services, transport providers, packaging manufacturers and food service equipment suppliers. ISO/TS 22003-1:2022 groups these into food chain categories A to K, including F: Transport and H: Packaging.

A CAS ISO 22000 certificate is valid for 3 years. Annual surveillance audits in Year 1 and Year 2 verify that the food safety management system continues to meet the requirements of the standard, and a full recertification audit in Year 3 renews the certificate for a new cycle.

Yes. CAS is accredited by EGAC, which is a signatory to the IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA). ISO 22000 falls within EGAC's IAF MLA scope, so an accredited CAS ISO 22000 certificate is recognised as equivalent by accreditation bodies in 100+ economies and carries both the EGAC and IAF marks.

Audit duration follows the ISO/TS 22003-1:2022 Annex B formula: Ds = TD + TH × (n−1) + T_FTE, where TD is the category base, TH is the time per additional HACCP study, and T_FTE is based on the FTE employee band. Your food chain category, the number of HACCP studies and your number of full-time-equivalent employees therefore all affect audit time.

Yes. ISO 22000:2018 requires the organisation to establish, implement and maintain prerequisite programmes to control contamination and food safety hazards in the working environment, appropriate to its position in the food chain. The standard points to the ISO/TS 22002 series as applicable specifications. Certification checks that the PRPs are in place, verified and effective.