ISO 22000 certification in Australia: JASANZ accreditation, customer and export demand, and multi-site practice

Why Australian food businesses pursue ISO 22000

In Australia the request usually arrives from a customer, not a regulator. A supermarket supplier, a contract manufacturer making product for a brand owner, or a cold store serving several processors meets ISO 22000 first as a line in a supplier approval questionnaire or a tender for a supply contract.

Exporters feel the pressure most. Australian food and ingredient producers selling into Asia, the Middle East and Europe find food safety certification on overseas buyers' supplier lists, and those buyers often name either ISO 22000 or a GFSI-recognised scheme such as FSSC 22000. Deciding which one your customers accept is the first scoping decision; the HACCP, ISO 22000 and FSSC 22000 comparison covers the choice.

ISO 22000 does not replace your obligations under Australian food law or the conditions of any licence or export registration you hold. A well-built system keeps the evidence those inspections expect in the same place as the evidence your certification body samples, so one set of records serves both.

The local landscape: JASANZ, Global ACI and checking a certificate

JASANZ is the bi-national accreditation body for Australia and New Zealand. The Australian Government describes it as providing independent accreditation of conformity assessment bodies across more than a hundred sector schemes, and JASANZ's own guidance is plain: it does not certify products, management systems or individuals, it accredits the organisations that do. For your project that means two separate checks: which certification body will audit your plant, and whether JASANZ has accredited that body for food safety management systems.

Accreditation scope matters more in food than in most sectors. Audit time and auditor competence are set by food chain category, so a body accredited for quality management alone, or for categories that do not match your products, is the wrong choice even if its quote is attractive. The guide to choosing a certification body sets out what a quote should state.

International recognition of accreditation bodies has run through the Global ACI arrangement since 1 January 2026. JASANZ was not visible on the Global ACI list of recognised bodies when we checked, so an exporter should confirm the current position on both sites, and with the overseas customer, before relying on an Australian certificate abroad.

To check a certificate, JASANZ points buyers to its Register of certified organisations, where the organisation, scope and issuing body can be confirmed. The certificate verification guide covers the full check.

Local practice that changes the project

Multi-state plants and trans-Tasman groups

A processor with a head office in Sydney and plants or distribution centres in other states, or a group operating on both sides of the Tasman, can hold one certificate if every site runs the same food safety management system. The certification body samples sites, so agree the site list, shift coverage and travel early, and make sure the hazard analysis is done for each site's actual process flow rather than copied from the head plant.

Distance and seasonal production

Stage 2 has to see production running, so schedule it for a period when the relevant lines operate, and allow for auditor travel to regional locations when you plan the certification timetable.

One set of records for customers, regulators and the auditor

Australian retailers and brand owners often run their own supplier audits alongside certification. Build the monitoring, traceability and mock recall records once, and they answer every audit.

Local items to check, and where

How Sterling works in Australia

Sterling supports Australian food businesses from its Sydney office, with consultants on site at your plant and working remotely with sites in other states. The team draws on an international practice of 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries since 2003. Sterling does not certify: an independent, accredited certification body audits your plant and decides, and we help you choose one whose accreditation your customers accept.

ISO 22000 in Australia: questions buyers ask