HACCP certification in Australia

HACCP certification in Australia at a glance

Standard 3.2.1 of the Food Standards Code is built on HACCP. Its purpose statement adopts the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point system of the Codex Alimentarius Commission and lets states and territories require food businesses to run food safety programmes based on it, subject to periodic audit by a suitably qualified food safety auditor. Food Standards Australia New Zealand lists the businesses covered: those serving potentially hazardous food to vulnerable people in hospitals, aged care and childcare, bivalve mollusc producers, makers of manufactured and fermented meats, and cell-cultured food businesses. That regulatory audit is not the same as HACCP certification, which customers sometimes ask for separately and which is issued by an accredited certification body. Many businesses need both, so the programme is written once and evidenced for each audience. Sterling develops the hazard analysis, critical limits, monitoring and verification records from its Sydney office.

Who needs HACCP in Australia, and what happens without it

For some organisations in Australia it is a legal requirement. For most, the question comes from a buyer, a regulator or a partner that wants proof before it signs. These are the organisations that get asked.

• Businesses serving potentially hazardous food to vulnerable people (hospitals, aged care, childcare)Standard 3.2.1 food safety programs apply.
• Producers of manufactured and fermented meatsA food safety management system is required under Standard 3.2.1.
• Bivalve mollusc and cell-cultured food businessesListed categories under Standard 3.2.1.
• Food manufacturers supplying retailersCustomers ask for HACCP certification from an accredited body.

HACCP requirements in Australia

Strip away the vocabulary and HACCP asks a food business to prove six things about how it controls food safety hazards.

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: HACCP explained →

• HACCP requirements, clause by clause in plain language

How to get HACCP 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 HACCP 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 HACCP certification process, step by step
• HACCP internal audit

How long does HACCP 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.

• Whether the requirement is regulatory (Standard 3.2.1) or customer-driven
• Number of products and processes to analyse
• State or territory audit arrangements
• Certification body or auditor scheduling

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

• Scope and timeline estimator

How much does HACCP 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 and product lines
• Prerequisite programme upgrades
• Auditor or certification body 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 HACCP

HACCP 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 HACCP 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.

HACCP in Australia: questions clients ask

More on HACCP for Australian organisations

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

Other standards Australian businesses ask Sterling for

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

All 22 standards Sterling delivers in Australia →