Germany · Certification
ISO 22000 certification in Germany
Achieve ISO 22000 certification in Germany with Sterling: 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries, 20+ years.
- Accredited certification
- Frankfurt office team
- Effivity software included
- Academy training included
Who asks for ISO 22000 in Germany
Clients include
ISO 22000 certification in Germany at a glance
In Germany, ISO 22000 is asked for by buyers and schemes rather than required by law. The drivers below show where the pressure comes from.
ISO 22000 sits one level above the hygiene rules every German food business already follows. The Lebensmittelhygiene-Verordnung and EU food hygiene law expect procedures based on HACCP principles; ISO 22000 wraps those procedures in a management system with food safety policy, objectives, prerequisite programmes, supplier control, internal audit and management review. It is a sensible choice for ingredient producers, packaging makers and food logistics firms whose customers want certified food safety management but do not insist on a GFSI-benchmarked scheme. Where retail or brand-owner contracts do insist, FSSC 22000 adds sector prerequisite programmes and scheme rules on top of ISO 22000, and IFS Food is the main alternative. Certification is by a certification body accredited by DAkkS or another recognised accreditation body. Sterling's consultants work from Frankfurt, building on the existing HACCP plan so that a later move to FSSC 22000 needs extension rather than rework. Questions from German clients follow.
Who needs ISO 22000 in Germany, and what happens without it
In Germany 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 wanting a management system beyond HACCPISO 22000 adds management-system structure to the HACCP-based duties of food hygiene law.
- Food businesses heading towards FSSC 22000FSSC 22000 is built on ISO 22000.
- Ingredient, packaging and logistics suppliers to food manufacturersCustomers may accept ISO 22000 where a GFSI scheme is not required.
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 Germany
Strip away the vocabulary and ISO 22000 requires a company to prove six things about keeping food safe from supplier to customer.
In Germany 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 Germany
One team from the Frankfurt office carries the work from scoping to certificate. All German states (Länder), on-site from Frankfurt; remote delivery for distributed teams.
- Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
- Gap assessment against ISO 22000 and the German 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 Germany?
There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In Germany these are the factors that set the timeline.
- Number of production lines and product groups
- Existing HACCP plan and prerequisite programmes
- Whether FSSC 22000 or IFS Food is the next step
- Certification-body availability
Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.
How much does ISO 22000 certification cost in Germany?
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 Germany these factors move both.
- Number of sites and product categories
- Hygiene infrastructure upgrades
- Certification body fees quoted separately from consulting
Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.
ISO 22000 consultants and certification bodies in Germany
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 Germany 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 Germany (3)
| Instrument | How it treats the standard |
|---|---|
| Lebensmittelhygiene-Verordnung (LMHV) implementing EU food hygiene law | Baseline Hygiene duties apply regardless of certification; ISO 22000 not named. |
| FSSC 22000 scheme (Foundation FSSC) | Related FSSC 22000 builds on ISO 22000 where buyers require GFSI recognition. |
| DAkkS accreditation of management-system certification bodies (DIN EN ISO/IEC 17021-1) | Market driver Accredited certification is available through Germany's national accreditation body; no mandate. |
Accreditation, audit language and remote audits in Germany
Use a certification body accredited for this standard by DAkkS or by another accreditation body within the international mutual recognition arrangements (Global ACI — Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated, formerly the IAF MLA); check that the accreditation scope covers the standard and your sector. No body is named here unless its accreditation scope has been verified. Edition and transition details: ISO 22000 hub →
Audit language
Audits are held in German or English; agree the audit language and the language of controlled documents with the certification body at application.
Remote and on-site
Remote audit elements are at the certification body's discretion under its accreditation rules; operational sites are normally visited on-site.
ISO 22000 in Germany: questions clients ask
Is ISO 22000 enough for German retail buyers?
That depends on the buyer. Many German retail buyers require IFS Food or a GFSI scheme such as FSSC 22000, so an ISO 22000 certificate by itself may fall short of their terms. Ask each major customer which scheme it accepts before you decide how far to take your food safety system.
How does ISO 22000 relate to HACCP?
ISO 22000 includes the HACCP principles inside a management system, so HACCP is built into the standard rather than sitting beside it. If you already run HACCP-based procedures, ISO 22000 is the step that places hazard control within management-system structure.
Who certifies ISO 22000 in Germany?
Accredited certification bodies do. In Germany the national accreditation body, DAkkS, accredits bodies for management-system certification, so ask a candidate to show an accreditation scope covering food safety management and your product sector before you sign, and keep a copy of that scope with your supplier records.
More on ISO 22000 for German 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 Frankfurt
- ISO 22000 certification in Germany and every other standard Sterling delivers there
Other standards German businesses ask Sterling for
Organisations in Germany often combine ISO 22000 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.
Start with a free discovery call from the Frankfurt office
A Sterling consultant goes through your entities, your regulators and your target date with you. No proposal until the scope is agreed.
Sources
- Lebensmittelhygiene-Verordnung (LMHV) implementing EU food hygiene law — gesetze-im-internet.de (accessed 5 Oct 2026)
- FSSC 22000 scheme (Foundation FSSC) — fssc.com (accessed 5 Oct 2026)
- DAkkS accreditation of management-system certification bodies (DIN EN ISO/IEC 17021-1) — dakks.de (accessed 5 Oct 2026)
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