Denmark · Certification
ISO 22000 certification in Denmark
Achieve ISO 22000 certification in Denmark with Sterling: 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries, 20+ years.
- Accredited certification
- Enschede office team
- Effivity software included
- Academy training included
Who asks for ISO 22000 in Denmark
Clients include
ISO 22000 certification in Denmark at a glance
In Denmark, ISO 22000 is asked for by buyers and schemes rather than required by law. The drivers below show where the pressure comes from.
Food safety in Denmark starts with a legal baseline rather than a certificate: Fødevarestyrelsen requires every food business to keep an egenkontrolprogram based on the seven HACCP principles, supported by a written risk analysis, and the guidance does not ask for third-party certification. ISO 22000 turns that baseline into a full management system that customers and exporters recognise. Wholesale and industrial producers should also note that Fødevarestyrelsen is their NIS 2 sector authority. The certificate is issued by a certification body accredited by DANAK or an equivalent body, never by Sterling. Sterling's Enschede office sets up hazard analysis, prerequisite programmes, supplier controls and internal audit, with Effivity and Sterling Academy included with the engagement, and it draws on 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries for practical, audit-ready documentation.
Who needs ISO 22000 in Denmark, and what happens without it
In Denmark 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 ingredient producersEvery food business must keep a HACCP-based self-check programme, and ISO 22000 builds a management system around that.
- Wholesale and industrial food producers under NIS 2Fødevarestyrelsen is sector authority for wholesale distribution and industrial production of food under NIS 2.
- Packaging and food-contact suppliersCustomers ask for food-safety systems down the supply chain.
- Exporters of Danish food productsImporting customers expect an independently certified food-safety system.
- Catering and food-service groupsA single documented system helps multi-site operators control hazards.
Not sure which of these applies to you?Answer a short set of questions and your readiness report arrives by e-mail.
Take the ISO 22000 readiness checkISO 22000 requirements in Denmark
Strip away the vocabulary and ISO 22000 requires a company to prove six things about keeping food safe from supplier to customer.
In Denmark 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 →
How to get ISO 22000 certified in Denmark
One team from the Enschede office carries the work from scoping to certificate. Clients in Denmark are served from Sterling's Enschede office, on-site where the work needs it and remotely otherwise.
- Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
- Gap assessment against ISO 22000 and the Danish requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
- Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
- Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before the certification body arrives.
- Certification body stage 1 and stage 2, then surveillanceAn accredited body audits and decides. Sterling supports the audits and the three-year cycle.
- End to end, from one team
- Effivity ISO & GRC software
- Preferential Sterling Academy access, with complimentary awareness training for your people
- Internal auditor training for your audit team, as applicable to your standard
- Vulnerability assessment on ISMS engagements
The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements.Sterling does not certify. Certification decisions stay with independent bodies.
How long does ISO 22000 certification take in Denmark?
There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In Denmark these are the factors that set the timeline.
- Number of production sites and product lines
- Maturity of the HACCP-based self-check programme
- Allergen and supplier controls
- Certification body scheduling
Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.
How much does ISO 22000 certification cost in Denmark?
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 Denmark these factors move both.
- Number of sites and process steps
- Hazard analysis and prerequisite programme gaps
- Certification body audit fees, quoted separately
- Testing and monitoring equipment
Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.
ISO 22000 consultants and certification bodies in Denmark
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 Denmark 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.
Laws and regulations that drive ISO 22000 in Denmark (4)
| Instrument | How it treats the standard |
|---|---|
| Fødevarestyrelsen guidance: the self-check programme must be based on the HACCP principles | Regulator page A food business's egenkontrolprogram must be based on the seven HACCP principles and supported by a written risk analysis; the page does not require a certificate. |
| DANAK (Den Danske Akkrediteringsfond) as Denmark's national accreditation body | Recognition DANAK describes itself as the national accreditation body for laboratories, certification bodies, inspection bodies and validation and verification bodies. |
| EA directory entry for DANAK | Recognition EA lists DANAK as an MLA signatory with scopes that include management system certification, product and person certification, inspection, calibration and testing. |
| Fødevarestyrelsen as NIS 2 sector authority for food | Regulator page Wholesale distribution and industrial production of food come under Fødevarestyrelsen for NIS 2 supervision. |
Accreditation, audit language and remote audits in Denmark
Choose a certification body accredited for this standard by DANAK, Denmark's national accreditation body, or by another accreditation body within the international mutual recognition arrangements (Global ACI — Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated, formerly the IAF MLA). Check that the body's accreditation scope covers the standard and your sector. No body is named here. Edition and transition details: ISO 22000 hub →
Audit language
Danish is the official language and English is widely used in business. Agree the audit language and the language of controlled documents with the certification body at application, and follow any language requirement in a contract or a regulator's procedure.
Remote and on-site
Audits are on-site at production and storage sites; documentation review may be partly remote.
ISO 22000 in Denmark: questions clients ask
Does Danish law require ISO 22000?
No. Fødevarestyrelsen requires a written self-check programme based on the HACCP principles and a risk analysis, and its guidance does not call for a third-party certificate. ISO 22000 is a voluntary management-system standard that many producers adopt to organise that work and satisfy customers. Check requirements for your product category with Fødevarestyrelsen.
How does the self-check programme relate to ISO 22000?
ISO 22000 wraps the HACCP principles in a full management system. Fødevarestyrelsen says the egenkontrolprogram must be built on the seven HACCP principles with documented risk analysis, procedures and records available at inspection. A certified system can serve as the structure, though the inspector still looks at your actual programme rather than the certificate.
Are food producers affected by Denmark's NIS 2 law?
Some are. SAMSIK's list names Fødevarestyrelsen as sector authority for wholesale distribution and industrial production and processing of food. Whether a business is covered depends on size and sector tests in the law, which SAMSIK's NIS2tjek tool helps to assess. Food-safety management and cybersecurity are separate duties.
Who certifies ISO 22000 for a Danish producer?
An accredited certification body, never Sterling. Look for DANAK accreditation or an equivalent body's, and verify the scope covers food chain categories relevant to you. EA lists DANAK as an MLA signatory for management system certification. Sterling builds the hazard analysis, prerequisite programmes and internal audit.
More on ISO 22000 for Danish organisations
- ISO 22000: the complete 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
- ISO 22000 certification in Denmark and every other standard Sterling delivers there
Other standards Danish businesses ask Sterling for
Organisations in Denmark often combine ISO 22000 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.
Start with a free discovery call from the Enschede office
A Sterling consultant goes through your entities, your regulators and your target date with you. No proposal until the scope is agreed.
Sources
- Fødevarestyrelsen guidance: the self-check programme must be based on the HACCP principles — foedevarestyrelsen.dk (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- DANAK (Den Danske Akkrediteringsfond) as Denmark's national accreditation body — danak.dk (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- EA directory entry for DANAK — european-accreditation.org (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- Fødevarestyrelsen as NIS 2 sector authority for food — samsik.dk (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- DANAK (Den Danske Akkrediteringsfond, the Danish Accreditation Fund) — danak.dk; european-accreditation.org; ilac.org (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
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