ISO 22000 certification in India: NABCB accreditation, the FSSAI licence, export buyers and local practice

Why Indian food businesses pursue ISO 22000

Most projects start with a customer. An exporter of spices, seafood, processed fruit or ready-to-eat snacks is asked by an importer or overseas brand owner for a recognised food safety management system before its product is listed. A packaging converter supplying a multinational beverage company, or a co-packer making private-label goods for a retail chain, meets the same request through a supplier questionnaire.

At home, hotel groups, restaurant chains, institutional caterers and large food brands often make a certified food safety system a condition of supplier approval. Some buyers accept ISO 22000; others, particularly those working to GFSI benchmarks, ask for FSSC 22000, which adds sector prerequisite programmes and scheme requirements to ISO 22000. Read the buyer's supplier manual before you choose. The comparison of HACCP, ISO 22000 and FSSC 22000 sets out the difference.

Accreditation in India: NABCB, ISO 22003-1 and checking a certificate

NABCB sits within the Quality Council of India and describes itself as an autonomous body set up by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It accredits management system certification bodies to ISO/IEC 17021-1. For food safety, the accreditation also follows ISO 22003-1, which groups the food chain into categories and subcategories. Match the category on the body's scope to what your site makes.

NABCB says on its own site that it is a member of IAF, ILAC and APAC and a signatory to their arrangements. Since January 2026 those roles have passed to Global ACI, and when we checked the Global ACI list of recognised accreditation bodies no Indian body was shown. An exporter should confirm NABCB's current standing on its own site before relying on it.

Many certification bodies in India are accredited overseas instead, which customers generally accept provided the accreditation body is internationally recognised and its scope covers food safety management and your category. To check an issued certificate, search IAF CertSearch and the certification body's own register; the certificate verification guide covers the full check.

What changes the project in India

The FSSAI licence and ISO 22000 side by side

Your FSSAI licence is what allows you to operate at all; ISO 22000 is a management system you choose to adopt. Treat the legal requirements attached to the licence as inputs to the food safety management system: list them, show who monitors them and keep the evidence alongside your prerequisite programme records. Confirm the licence conditions for your business with FSSAI.

Contract manufacturing and job work

Many Indian brands rely on third-party manufacturers, repackers and cold-chain operators. If you own the brand, the scope has to show how you approve those partners, pass on specifications and verify what they produce. If you are the contract manufacturer, expect auditors to trace a lot back through your raw material intake records and forward to each brand owner's dispatch.

Plants in several states

A Mumbai head office with processing units in Gujarat is common. Each unit has its own water source, pest pressure and seasonal workforce, and audit time is planned by category and site, so agree the site list early.

Language on the line

Hazard analysis records are usually in English, while CCP monitoring sheets work better in Marathi, Gujarati, Hindi, Tamil or Malayalam. Either is acceptable if users understand it; ask for an auditor who can read the records sampled.

Local items to check before and after certification

How Sterling works in India

Indian food safety projects are led from Sterling's Navi Mumbai office. Plants in Mumbai, Thane and Pune can have a consultant on the floor at short notice; sites in other states get planned visits and remote support. The team draws on 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries since 2003. Sterling does not certify: an independent, accredited certification body audits your plant and makes the decision, and we help you choose one whose accreditation and food chain category your buyers will accept.

ISO 22000 certification in India: questions buyers ask