Food Safety Management Systems
Safe food handling and risk reduction across the entire supply chain, from raw material to consumer.
Who it is for: Food producers, processors, caterers, and packaging and logistics businesses in the food chain.
- Standard
- ISO 22000
- Edition
- 2018
- Abbreviation
- FSMS
- Discipline
- Food safety
- Certification cycle
- 3 years
What ISO 22000 is actually made of
Like the other standards here, ISO 22000 follows Annex SL, the common high-level structure. Clause 8 is where it becomes specific to food safety; the rest is the spine you would build for any of them.
- 4Context of the organisationIssues, interested parties, scope, and the system itself.
- 5LeadershipCommitment, policy, and assigned roles and authorities.
- 6PlanningRisks and opportunities, objectives, and planning for change.
- 7SupportResources, competence, awareness, communication, documented information.
- 8OperationFor ISO 22000: Prerequisite programmes, hazard analysis, the hazard control plan and traceability.
- 9Performance evaluationMonitoring, internal audit, management review.
- 10ImprovementNon-conformity, corrective action, continual improvement.
Four stages to ISO 22000:2018
Each stage has one defined output. You always know what has been produced and what is next.
- 1Findings report
Gap analysis
Every clause assessed against how you work today, delivered as a written finding list with owners and effort.
- 2Documented system
Documentation
Manual, procedures, forms and records written around your operation. Auditors sample records, not documents.
- 3Audit evidence
Implementation and training
Staff trained, controls in use, the internal audit run and the management review held.
- Certificate issued
Certification audit
Stage 1 and Stage 2 with the registrar, and support closing any non-conformities they raise.
Notice: WCA Global is a consultancy and advisory firm. We prepare your organisation for certification against ISO 22000:2018; the certificate is issued independently by an accredited third-party registrar.
How long does ISO 22000 certification take?
For a single site, typically eight to twenty weeks from gap analysis to Stage 2, depending on the package and your size. The variable is almost never us. It is how quickly your team can produce the records the standard requires, because several clauses need evidence accumulated over weeks.
Do you issue the certificate?
No, and no consultancy should. WCA Global prepares your organisation; an accredited third-party registrar audits it and issues the certificate. Anyone offering to consult and certify is offering a certificate that a serious customer will not accept.
Which edition applies? Is 2018 current?
ISO 22000:2018 is the edition we implement against. Where a newer edition is published mid-engagement there is normally a transition period, and the documented system is built so the change is a revision rather than a rewrite.
What happens after the certificate?
The certificate runs on a three-year cycle: surveillance audits in years one and two, recertification in year three. A system that stops being used between audits fails surveillance, which is why the retainer exists.
Can we certify against more than one standard at once?
Yes, and it is usually cheaper than doing them in sequence. The shared clauses reuse the context, leadership, planning, support and evaluation work already done. We quote additional standards at 55% for that reason.
Usually certified alongside
Quality Management Systems
Improve customer satisfaction, ensure consistency, and drive continuous process improvement across the organisation.
Occupational Health & Safety Management Systems
Prevent workplace injury, protect employees, and meet legal safety obligations with evidence.
Environmental Management Systems
Minimise environmental impact, comply with environmental law, and demonstrate a credible sustainability position.
Get a figure for ISO 22000.
The quote builder uses our published multipliers: package, headcount, sites and deadline. Additional standards are priced at 55%.