ISO 22000 vs. FSSC 22000: What's the difference?

ISO 22000 and FSSC 22000 are not the same thing. Understanding the difference is important if a company is planning a food safety certification strategy.

What are the advantages of ISO 22000?

While it may stand alone as a certification , ISO 22000 is a good starting point for organizations seeking FSSC 22000 certification.

Helps organizations minimize food safety risks and improve their performance.
It provides a structured framework for creating a FSMS , a systematic approach to managing food safety risks .

Compliance with ISO 22000 offers benefits such as:

• Improved Customer Satisfaction : An FSMS helps ensure you deliver products that consistently meet customers' food safety expectations.
• Helps meet regulatory requirements : Compliance with regulatory requirements is necessary to achieve ISO 22000 certification. Implementing an FSMS can help companies meet these requirements and understand their impact on the organization and its customers.
• Greater transparency : ISO 22000 helps organizations improve product traceability and increase transparency in their operations.
• Enhanced Risk Response : Implementing an FSMS enables organizations to respond more quickly and effectively to food safety incidents, helping them prevent potential contamination before it occurs.
• Reduced Investigation Time : In the event of contamination, an FSMS allows organizations to reduce the time required for investigation, enabling faster resolution.
• Consistent Structure : The structure of ISO 22000 resembles that of other international standards. It is designed to integrate seamlessly with other ISO management systems, such as ISO 9001, ISO 45001, and ISO 14001.

What are the advantages of FSSC 22000?

FSSC 22000 is a certification scheme built on the ISO Harmonized Framework.

It uses ISO 22000:2018 as its core and offers two additional levels :

• industry standards for Pre-Requisite Programs (PRP) and
• FSSC 22000 Additional Requirements .

The main difference between the two certifications is that the FSSC 22000 certification scheme is recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI).

GFSI benchmarking recognition indicates that the Program meets the highest international food safety standards , leading to greater acceptance within the global food industry.