India · Certification
ISO 22000 certification in India
Achieve ISO 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 ISO 22000 in India
Clients include
ISO 22000 certification in India at a glance
In India, ISO 22000 is asked for by buyers and schemes rather than required by law. The drivers below show where the pressure comes from.
FSSAI appears on NABCB's list of regulators that rely on NABCB accreditation, and that link is why an accredited ISO 22000 certificate carries weight with Indian food regulators, export buyers and food-service clients alike. ISO 22000 places HACCP principles inside a management system: prerequisite programmes, hazard analysis, operational controls, verification, traceability, emergency preparedness and management review. NABCB's APAC recognition lists food safety management systems as a sub-scope, and the Bureau of Indian Standards also certifies to IS/ISO 22000. For packaging makers, ingredient suppliers and storage operators, ISO 22000 is often the scheme that fits better than a sector-specific one; processors supplying brands that specify FSSC 22000 can build on it later. Sterling's Navi Mumbai office runs the hazard analysis and prerequisite programme work with the plant team, keeping records in Effivity, with Sterling Academy training included. The certification route and questions follow.
Who needs ISO 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 manufacturers regulated by FSSAIFSSAI is listed by NABCB among regulators relying on its accreditation.
- Food exportersAPEDA recognises NABCB accreditation; export buyers ask for a certified FSMS.
- Packaging, storage and ingredient suppliers in the food chainCustomers pass food safety requirements down the chain.
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 India
Strip away the vocabulary and ISO 22000 requires a company to prove six things about keeping food safe from supplier to customer.
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: ISO 22000 explained →
How to get ISO 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 ISO 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 ISO 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
- Number of product lines and hazard analyses
- Verification and validation records
- 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 ISO 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 sites and product categories
- Certification body audit fees quoted separately from consulting
- Infrastructure upgrades for hygiene and segregation
- Laboratory testing
Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.
ISO 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 ISO 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 ISO 22000 in India (3)
| Instrument | How it treats the standard |
|---|---|
| NABCB APAC MRA certificate — Food Safety Management Systems (ISO 22003 / ISO 22000) sub-scope | Accreditation NABCB APAC recognition for FSMS. |
| Bureau of Indian Standards — systems under certification | Market driver BIS lists IS/ISO 22000 among the systems it certifies as a certification body; no mandate. |
| NABCB — regulators relying on NABCB accreditation (FSSAI listed) | Market driver FSSAI relies on NABCB accreditation; ISO 22000 not stated. |
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. Edition and transition details: ISO 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.
ISO 22000 in India: questions clients ask
Is ISO 22000 required by FSSAI?
No mandate was found. FSSAI is listed by NABCB among regulators relying on its accreditation for some schemes, but the page does not mention ISO 22000. Your licence conditions and your customers' requirements are the better test, so check them with FSSAI.
ISO 22000 or FSSC 22000?
FSSC 22000 is ISO 22000 with more. It adds sector prerequisite programmes and scheme rules on top of ISO 22000. Choose FSSC 22000 when a customer or retailer asks for it; ISO 22000 alone suits those who need a food safety management system without the scheme.
Who certifies ISO 22000 in India?
NABCB-accredited certification bodies, covering food safety management systems under its APAC recognition, certify against ISO 22000. BIS also certifies IS/ISO 22000, though it does so as a certification body. Ask whichever certifier you consider for evidence of accreditation for your food category.
More on ISO 22000 for Indian 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 Mumbai
- ISO 22000 certification in India and every other standard Sterling delivers there
Other standards Indian businesses ask Sterling for
Organisations in India often combine ISO 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 APAC MRA certificate — Food Safety Management Systems (ISO 22003 / ISO 22000) sub-scope — nabcb.qci.org.in (accessed 5 Oct 2026)
- Bureau of Indian Standards — systems under certification — bis.gov.in (accessed 5 Oct 2026)
- NABCB — regulators relying on NABCB accreditation (FSSAI 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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