FSSC 22000 certification in Australia

FSSC 22000 certification in Australia at a glance

FSSC 22000 sits on ISO 22000, adds sector-specific prerequisite programmes and further scheme requirements, and is recognised by the Global Food Safety Initiative, which is why retailers and export customers ask for it. Australian food law starts from a different place. Standard 3.2.1 of the Food Standards Code is built on the HACCP system adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and lets states and territories require food safety programmes, periodically audited by a qualified food safety auditor, from businesses such as those serving potentially hazardous food to vulnerable people or producing manufactured and fermented meats. A business with a sound HACCP programme has much of the foundation; FSSC 22000 adds management system discipline, prerequisite detail and scheme rules. Certificates are issued by certification bodies licensed by Foundation FSSC and accredited for the scheme. Sterling's Sydney office prepares sites for certification, drawing on 20+ years of food safety work.

Who needs FSSC 22000 in Australia, and what happens without it

In Australia the question rarely comes from a law. It comes from the buyer, the regulator or the partner that wants proof before it signs. These are the organisations that get asked.

• Food manufacturers supplying major retailers and export customersBuyers commonly require a GFSI-recognised certificate.
• Businesses already running HACCP-based food safety programsStandard 3.2.1 programs give a base that FSSC 22000 builds on.
• Packaging and ingredient manufacturersFSSC 22000 covers multiple sectors in the food supply chain.

FSSC 22000 requirements in Australia

Strip away the vocabulary and FSSC 22000 asks a company to prove six things about food safety to the level global buyers expect.

In Australia these six sit alongside the local laws and regulations listed under drivers below; one system can evidence both. The detail is on the global hub: FSSC 22000 explained →

• FSSC 22000 requirements, clause by clause in plain language

How to get FSSC 22000 certified in Australia

One team from the Sydney office carries the work from scoping to certificate. All states and territories, delivered from the Sydney office; remote delivery for distributed teams.

1. Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
2. Gap assessment against FSSC 22000 and the Australian requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
3. Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
4. Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before the certification body arrives.
5. Certification body stage 1 and stage 2, then surveillanceAn accredited body audits and decides. Sterling supports the audits and the three-year cycle.

The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements.Sterling does not certify. Certification decisions stay with independent bodies.

• The FSSC 22000 certification process, step by step

How long does FSSC 22000 certification take in Australia?

There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In Australia these are the factors that set the timeline.

• Product categories and number of sites
• Maturity of prerequisite programmes
• Existing HACCP-based food safety program
• Certification body scheduling

Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.

• Scope and timeline estimator

How much does FSSC 22000 certification cost in Australia?

The cost has two parts: the consulting work to build and prove the system, and the certification body’s audit fees, which are quoted separately. In Australia these factors move both.

• Number of sites, lines and product categories
• Prerequisite programme upgrades
• Certification body audit fees quoted separately from consulting

Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.

• What makes up the cost of FSSC 22000

FSSC 22000 consultants and certification bodies in Australia

Two different organisations are involved. A consultant helps you build the system and prove it works; an accredited certification body then audits or assesses it and decides. Keeping the two separate is what makes the result credible to buyers and regulators.

• Check that the body’s accreditation or approval covers FSSC 22000 and your sector, and that its certificates can be verified online.
• Ask the consultant how the local requirements in Australia are mapped into the same system, so nothing runs twice.
• Ask for client references in your sector; Sterling’s client letters are available on request.
• Agree who owns the evidence and the tool after the engagement; with Sterling the system stays yours, in Effivity.

FSSC 22000 in Australia: questions clients ask

More on FSSC 22000 for Australian organisations

• FSSC 22000: the complete guide
• Watch: How to implement FSSC 22000
• Sterling in Sydney
• FSSC 22000 certification in Australia and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards Australian businesses ask Sterling for

Organisations in Australia often combine FSSC 22000 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.

All 22 standards Sterling delivers in Australia →