ISO 22000 certification in the UK: UKAS accreditation, the HACCP duty and customer schemes

Why UK food businesses pursue ISO 22000 certification

A UK food business starts from a legal baseline. The retained text of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs, Article 5, requires food business operators to put in place, implement and maintain a permanent procedure based on the HACCP principles, for every stage after primary production. Most UK sites therefore already hold a HACCP-based plan of some kind. What ISO 22000 adds is the management system around it: a food safety team with authority, validated control measures, verification that is analysed, internal audit, management review and tested recall.

The commercial reason is usually a customer. Caterers, contract food service providers, cold stores, distributors, packaging converters and ingredient suppliers are asked to show an accredited food safety certificate in supplier approval. The question to settle first is which certificate the customer will accept, because in the UK the answer is often a GFSI-recognised scheme rather than ISO 22000 alone.

The local landscape: UKAS, food chain categories and checking a certificate

UKAS is the national accreditation body for the United Kingdom, appointed by government to assess bodies that provide certification, testing, inspection and calibration. For ISO 22000, a certification body is accredited to ISO/IEC 17021-1 and ISO 22003-1. ISO 22003-1 matters in food: it sets the food chain categories that define both the body's accredited scope and the scope on your certificate, and it drives audit time. Ask a UK body which categories UKAS accredits it for, and confirm your products fall inside them.

UKAS is a signatory to the European co-operation for Accreditation multilateral agreement and states that its accreditations continue to be recognised under the Global ACI arrangement, which replaced the IAF and ILAC arrangements from 1 January 2026. UKAS did not appear on the Global ACI list of recognised bodies when we checked, so confirm the position on both sites.

To check a certificate, UKAS offers CertCheck, a free database of UKAS-accredited management system certificates. IAF CertSearch covers other accreditation bodies, but uploading is voluntary, so a missing entry calls for a question to the issuing body rather than a conclusion. The certificate verification guide covers the full check.

Local practice that changes the project

Choosing between ISO 22000, FSSC 22000 and BRCGS

Many UK sites face this choice before any other. BRCGS Food Safety was written by and for the retail supply chain and prescribes what a factory must have; its certification bodies are accredited to ISO/IEC 17065 and listed in the BRCGS Directory. FSSC 22000 keeps the ISO 22000 management system and adds sector prerequisite programmes and scheme requirements. ISO 22000 alone fits businesses whose customers accept it, and those building the system first with a scheme to follow. The comparison guide sets out the differences.

Turning the HACCP plan into a hazard control plan

Most UK sites already hold a HACCP plan written to meet the legal duty. Certification tests whether it was analysed for today's lines and products, whether the critical limits were validated, and whether OPRPs are defined with action criteria.

Several sites, one system

Groups with kitchens, depots or plants across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should agree early which sites sit inside the scope, which food chain categories each covers, and how the certification body will sample them.

Public sector catering

New public procurement rules came into force on 24 February 2025 under the Procurement Act 2023. Government guidance says a condition of participation cannot require a particular qualification without allowing for its equivalents, so read each tender's conditions rather than assume ISO 22000 is mandatory or irrelevant.

UK items to check, and where

How Sterling works in the United Kingdom

For ISO 22000 certification in London and across the UK, Sterling works from its London office, on site and remotely. Our expert and experienced food safety consultants draw on 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries since 2003. Sterling does not certify: an independent, accredited certification body audits you and decides, and we help you choose one accredited for your food chain categories and accepted by your customers.

ISO 22000 in the UK: questions buyers ask