India · Certification
FSSC 22000 certification in India
Achieve FSSC 22000 certification in India with Sterling: 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries, 20+ years.
- Accredited certification
- Mumbai office team
- Effivity software included
- Academy training included
Who asks for FSSC 22000 in India
Clients include
FSSC 22000 certification in India at a glance
In India, FSSC 22000 is asked for by buyers and schemes rather than required by law. The drivers below show where the pressure comes from.
A version change is under way: NABCB has published its policy for accredited certification bodies on the transition to FSSC 22000 Version 7, and plants holding the scheme need to plan their next audit against it. FSSC 22000 combines ISO 22000 with sector prerequisite programmes and scheme requirements, and it is the scheme many food brands and retailers specify for their processors. NABCB's APAC recognition lists FSSC 22000 as a sub-scope, the scheme owner is among those recognising NABCB accreditation, and FSSAI and APEDA both appear on NABCB's list of bodies relying on or recognising its accreditation. Certification itself comes from a certification body licensed by the scheme owner and accredited for the food chain category. Sterling's Navi Mumbai office works through prerequisite programmes, hazard analysis, food defence and fraud assessments with the plant team, with Effivity and Sterling Academy included. The local route and common questions follow.
Who needs FSSC 22000 in India, and what happens without it
In India 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 multinational brands and retailersBuyers specify FSSC 22000 or another recognised scheme.
- Food exportersAPEDA is listed by NABCB among scheme owners recognising NABCB accreditation.
- Food businesses regulated by FSSAIFSSAI is listed by NABCB among regulators relying on its accreditation.
Not sure which of these applies to you?Answer a short set of questions and your readiness report arrives by e-mail.
Take the FSSC 22000 readiness checkFSSC 22000 requirements in India
Strip away the vocabulary and FSSC 22000 asks a company to prove six things about food safety to the level global buyers expect.
In India 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 →
How to get FSSC 22000 certified in India
One team from the Mumbai office carries the work from scoping to certificate. Across India from the Navi Mumbai office: on-site in Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, on-site or remote for other states; remote delivery for distributed teams.
- Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
- Gap assessment against FSSC 22000 and the Indian 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 FSSC 22000 certification take in India?
There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In India these are the factors that set the timeline.
- Prerequisite programme gaps at the plant
- Transition to the current scheme version
- Product categories and number of plants
- Certification body scheduling around festival holidays
Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.
How much does FSSC 22000 certification cost in India?
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 India these factors move both.
- Number of plants and product categories
- Certification body audit fees quoted separately from consulting
- Infrastructure upgrades for prerequisite programmes
- Laboratory testing and validation needs
Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.
FSSC 22000 consultants and certification bodies in India
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 India 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 FSSC 22000 in India (3)
| Instrument | How it treats the standard |
|---|---|
| NABCB Policy on Transition to FSSC 22000 Scheme Version 7 | Scheme rule NABCB's policy for accredited certification bodies moving to Version 7. |
| NABCB APAC MRA certificate — FSSC 22000 sub-scope | Accreditation NABCB is an APAC MRA signatory for FSSC 22000 (ISO/TS 22003 / ISO 22000). |
| NABCB — scheme owners recognising NABCB accreditation (FSSC 22000 listed) | Scheme rule FSSC 22000 listed. |
Accreditation, audit language and remote audits in India
Use a certification body accredited for this standard by NABCB 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. Confirm the body is licensed by the FSSC 22000 scheme owner and accredited for the food chain category. Edition and transition details: FSSC 22000 hub →
Audit language
English audits are the norm; agree interviews in Hindi or the state language, any interpreter and the document language 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.
FSSC 22000 in India: questions clients ask
Which FSSC 22000 version applies?
Version 7 is the one NABCB is moving accredited certification bodies towards. NABCB has published a transition policy for the scheme's Version 7. Ask your certification body for its own transition dates rather than assuming them, because they depend on the body's arrangements with the scheme owner.
Does FSSAI require FSSC 22000?
No mandate was found. FSSAI appears in NABCB's list of regulators that rely on its accreditation, but the page does not say which scheme FSSAI relies on it for. Treat FSSC 22000 as a customer or market choice and check your licence conditions with FSSAI.
Is FSSC 22000 the same as ISO 22000?
No, but one builds on the other. FSSC 22000 takes ISO 22000 as its base and adds prerequisite programmes and scheme requirements of its own. A plant certified to ISO 22000 alone has not yet shown the extra programmes the scheme requires.
More on FSSC 22000 for Indian organisations
Other standards Indian businesses ask Sterling for
Organisations in India often combine FSSC 22000 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.
Start with a free discovery call from the Mumbai office
A Sterling consultant goes through your entities, your regulators and your target date with you. No proposal until the scope is agreed.
Sources
- NABCB Policy on Transition to FSSC 22000 Scheme Version 7 — nabcb.qci.org.in (accessed 5 Oct 2026)
- NABCB APAC MRA certificate — FSSC 22000 sub-scope — nabcb.qci.org.in (accessed 5 Oct 2026)
- NABCB — scheme owners recognising NABCB accreditation (FSSC 22000 listed) — nabcb.qci.org.in (accessed 5 Oct 2026)
- National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB) — nabcb.qci.org.in (accessed 5 Oct 2026)
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