What Is FSSC 22000? How It Differs From ISO 22000 and Why Export Customers Require It

What Is FSSC 22000?

FSSC 22000 is a food safety certification scheme managed by the Dutch Foundation FSSC; its official website is fssc.com. It isn't a new standard; rather, it combines several documents so that certification can be recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI).

It has three layers:

1. ISO 22000: The core food safety management system.
2. Sector prerequisite programs (PRPs): The ISO 22002 series. From 2025 this series was revised, with ISO 22002-100 as the common requirements, supplemented by sector-specific parts, such as ISO 22002-1 for food manufacturing.
3. FSSC 22000 scheme requirements: These fill the gaps between ISO 22000 and the GFSI benchmarking requirements, covering topics such as food safety and quality culture, quality control, equipment management, allergen management, food fraud and food defense, and environmental monitoring.

Which Version Is Current?

Based on announcements from certification bodies: Version 6 was published on April 1, 2023; Version 7 was published on May 1, 2026, in line with the GFSI 2024 benchmarking requirements and the revision of the ISO 22002 series. Transition audits are expected to begin on May 1, 2027, with the transition period running until April 30, 2028. For plants already certified, the actual timeline follows FSSC's official documents and notices from your own certification body.

How FSSC 22000 Differs From ISO 22000

• ISO 22000 is a standard that can be certified on its own, but its prerequisite programs are written in fairly general terms, and an ISO 22000 certificate alone isn't GFSI-recognized.
• FSSC 22000 adds specific sector PRPs and additional requirements to ISO 22000, and the whole package is GFSI-recognized.

So even if you've "done ISO 22000," if the customer specifies a GFSI-recognized scheme, you'll need to go further to FSSC 22000 (or another GFSI-recognized scheme such as BRCGS, IFS, or SQF).

Why Large Export Customers Require It

International retailers, restaurant chains, and major food brands have suppliers all over the world and can't audit every one themselves. GFSI benchmarks certification schemes, and the schemes that pass recognize each other; buyers need only require that "suppliers hold a certificate from a GFSI-recognized scheme" to screen suppliers against a consistent threshold and reduce duplicate audits. That's why frozen dim sum and contract bakery manufacturers doing export business are often asked, even before quoting, whether they hold FSSC 22000 or an equivalent certificate.

What Equipment Makers Need to Support

When FSSC 22000 plants purchase or modify equipment, they often ask suppliers to help with the following (depending on each customer's procedures):

• Hygienic design information: Contact surface materials, surface finish, which parts can be disassembled for washing, and cleaning methods.
• Material and compliance documents: Material certificates and migration test reports for contact parts, and registration information for food-grade lubricants.
• Manuals and maintenance plans: Intervals for cleaning, maintenance, and parts replacement, so the plant can include them in its preventive maintenance plan.
• Foreign matter control: Which parts could come loose, whether they're made of detectable materials, and how to count parts and tools during disassembly and assembly.
• New equipment acceptance: Cleaning after installation, test runs, and confirmation of the first batch of product.

The core of "equipment management" in the additional scheme requirements is having written specifications before purchasing new equipment, considering hygienic design and food safety, and completing verification before the new equipment is put into use. The more complete the information a plant has, the easier it is to explain during audits.

For which model information Dong-Yih can provide, please call 06-257-4644 or visit our contact information page. For an explanation of the core management system, see What Is ISO 22000; for the design side, see hygienic design principles.

FAQ

Q: What's the difference between FSSC 22000 and ISO 22000?
A: FSSC 22000 is a certification scheme made up of ISO 22000, the ISO 22002 series of sector prerequisite programs, and FSSC additional requirements, and the whole is GFSI-recognized; ISO 22000 alone isn't GFSI-recognized.

Q: Why do export customers specify FSSC 22000?
A: GFSI-recognized schemes recognize each other, so buyers use them as a supplier threshold without having to audit each supplier themselves.

Q: What version of FSSC 22000 is current?
A: Version 7 was published on May 1, 2026; transition audits are expected to begin on May 1, 2027, with the transition period running until April 30, 2028.

Q: What will an FSSC plant ask for when buying a new machine?
A: Commonly, contact surface materials and test documents, cleaning and maintenance instructions, food-grade lubricant information, and a description of parts that could come loose; equipment management in the additional requirements also calls for specifications before purchase and verification before the equipment is put into use.