ISO 22000 certification in Australia

ISO 22000 certification in Australia at a glance

Food manufacturers that already run a HACCP-based food safety programme under Standard 3.2.1 often ask whether ISO 22000 is a large step. Usually it is not. The Food Standards Code standard rests on the Codex HACCP system and lets states and territories require audited food safety programmes from high-risk businesses; ISO 22000 takes the same hazard-based logic and wraps it in a management system with prerequisite programmes, interactive communication along the food chain and management review. It is voluntary in Australia, and is the base of FSSC 22000, the scheme many retailers prefer because it is recognised by the Global Food Safety Initiative. Packaging, storage and logistics businesses can use ISO 22000 too. Certificates are issued by accredited certification bodies; JASANZ lists food safety among the sectors in which it accredits. Sterling, with 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries, prepares Australian food businesses from its Sydney office.

Who needs ISO 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 and processorsCustomers and export markets ask for an accredited food safety management certificate.
• Businesses in Standard 3.2.1 categoriesISO 22000 incorporates HACCP principles and builds on their food safety programs.
• Food packaging, storage and logistics providersISO 22000 applies across the food chain.

ISO 22000 requirements in Australia

Strip away the vocabulary and ISO 22000 requires a company to prove six things about keeping food safe from supplier to customer.

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: ISO 22000 explained →

• ISO 22000 requirements, clause by clause in plain language
• The documents ISO 22000 expects
• ISO 22000 checklist

How to get ISO 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 ISO 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 ISO 22000 certification process, step by step
• ISO 22000 gap analysis
• ISO 22000 implementation plan
• ISO 22000 internal audit

How long does ISO 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.

• Number of products and processes
• Existing HACCP-based food safety program
• Prerequisite programme maturity
• Certification body scheduling

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

• What drives the ISO 22000 timeline
• Scope and timeline estimator

How much does ISO 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 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 ISO 22000

ISO 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 ISO 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.

• Choosing an ISO 22000 certification body
• How to verify an ISO 22000 certificate

ISO 22000 in Australia: questions clients ask

More on ISO 22000 for Australian organisations

• ISO 22000: the complete guide
• ISO 22000 certification: the regional guide
• Watch: How to implement ISO 22000
• Catering and hotels: ISO 22000 for the sector
• Feed and animal food: ISO 22000 for the sector
• Food and beverage manufacturing: ISO 22000 for the sector
• Food packaging manufacturing: ISO 22000 for the sector
• Ingredients and supplements: ISO 22000 for the sector
• Retail and wholesale: ISO 22000 for the sector
• Transport, storage and distribution: ISO 22000 for the sector
• Sterling in Sydney
• ISO 22000 certification in Australia and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards Australian businesses ask Sterling for

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

All 22 standards Sterling delivers in Australia →