FSSC 22000 certification in Canada

FSSC 22000 certification in Canada at a glance

Retailers and brand owners, more than the regulator, are usually the reason a Canadian food processor seeks FSSC 22000. The legal requirement comes from the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations: licence holders must prepare, keep and maintain a written preventive control plan, with critical control points, critical limits and monitoring procedures, which the Canadian Food Inspection Agency checks. FSSC 22000 takes that discipline further. Built on ISO 22000 with sector prerequisite programmes and scheme rules owned by Foundation FSSC, it gives buyers a certificate issued by a licensed, accredited certification body, which is what many supplier approval programmes ask for. A processor that already runs a sound preventive control plan has much of the foundation in place. Sterling's Toronto office closes the gaps between that plan and the scheme, covering food defence, food fraud, allergen and environmental monitoring controls, and prepares the site for audit, with Effivity and Sterling Academy included. Processors' questions follow.

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

In Canada 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 processors supplying retailers and brand ownersBuyers ask for a certified food safety scheme.
• Licence holders under the Safe Food for Canadians RegulationsA written preventive control plan is required; FSSC 22000 structures it.
• Packaging and ingredient manufacturersFood-contact supply chains are covered by FSSC 22000 categories.

FSSC 22000 requirements in Canada

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

In Canada 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 Canada

One team from the Toronto office carries the work from scoping to certificate. Delivered from the Toronto office: on-site in Ontario and by arrangement in other provinces; 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 Canadian 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 Canada?

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

• Number of sites and product categories
• Maturity of prerequisite programmes and the preventive control plan
• Time to evidence verification, internal audit and management review

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 Canada?

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 Canada these factors move both.

• Number of sites and product lines
• Infrastructure and prerequisite programme gaps
• 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 Canada

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 Canada 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 Canada: questions clients ask

More on FSSC 22000 for Canadian organisations

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

Other standards Canadian businesses ask Sterling for

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

All 21 standards Sterling delivers in Canada →