Italy · Certification
ISO 22000 certification in Italy
Achieve ISO 22000 certification in Italy 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 Italy
Clients include
ISO 22000 certification in Italy at a glance
In Italy, ISO 22000 is asked for by buyers and schemes rather than required by law. The drivers below show where the pressure comes from.
Italian food producers can read ISO 22000 as a structure for duties they already carry. Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 obliges food business operators to keep permanent HACCP-based procedures, reconsider them whenever a product, process or step changes, and show evidence to the competent authority; no certificate is demanded. ISO 22000 wraps those procedures in policy, planning, internal audit and management review, while some customers name the FSSC 22000 scheme in their supplier terms instead. A certification body accredited by Accredia, Italy's national accreditation body, issues the certificate, and Sterling does not certify. Sterling's Frankfurt office helps manufacturers and ingredient suppliers across Italy build the system through Effivity, with Sterling Academy training included in the engagement, and prepare each site for the certification audit.
Who needs ISO 22000 in Italy, and what happens without it
In Italy 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 and beverage manufacturersThe HACCP duty in Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 is the legal base a food safety management system builds on.
- Ingredient, packaging-contact and catering suppliersBuyers ask suppliers for independent evidence of the food safety system.
- Producers moving towards a scheme certificateISO 22000 can sit under a scheme such as FSSC 22000 that customers name.
- Businesses reorganising food safety documentationA management-system structure keeps HACCP records, prerequisites and reviews consistent.
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 Italy
Strip away the vocabulary and ISO 22000 requires a company to prove six things about keeping food safe from supplier to customer.
In Italy 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 Italy
One team from the Frankfurt office carries the work from scoping to certificate. Clients across Italy are served from Sterling's Frankfurt 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 Italian 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 Italy?
There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In Italy these are the factors that set the timeline.
- Number of products, lines and sites in scope
- Maturity of prerequisite programmes and HACCP records
- Traceability and recall test results
- Certification-body availability around the August holiday period
Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.
How much does ISO 22000 certification cost in Italy?
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 Italy these factors move both.
- Number of sites and production lines
- Product complexity and allergen controls
- 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 Italy
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 Italy 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 Italy (3)
| Instrument | How it treats the standard |
|---|---|
| Regulation (EC) No 852/2004, art. 5 — HACCP | Related Permanent procedures based on the HACCP principles and evidence for the competent authority; a certificate is not mandated. |
| Accredia — national accreditation body | Market driver Accredited management-system certification is available through Italy's single national accreditation body. |
| Foundation FSSC — FSSC 22000 scheme | Related Licensed and accredited certification bodies use the scheme documents; some customers name the scheme specifically. |
Accreditation, audit language and remote audits in Italy
Use a certification body accredited for this standard by Accredia 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. Edition and transition details: ISO 22000 hub →
Audit language
Audits are held in Italian or English; agree the audit language and the language of controlled documents with the certification body at application.
Remote and on-site
Audits include on-site assessment of production areas; document review can be remote at the certification body's discretion.
ISO 22000 in Italy: questions clients ask
Is ISO 22000 mandatory for food companies in Italy?
No. The legal duty is the HACCP-based procedure required by art. 5 of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004, which does not demand a certificate. ISO 22000 certification by an accredited body is voluntary, though customers may ask for it. Check your buyers' supplier terms, and ask the competent authority if you are unsure of your legal position.
Does an ISO 22000 system satisfy the HACCP duty?
It can help you organise the evidence, but the legal duty stays in art. 5 of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004: hazard identification, critical control points, critical limits, monitoring, corrective actions, verification and records. You must be able to show the competent authority that the procedure is in place and current, whatever certificate you also hold.
How does ISO 22000 differ from FSSC 22000 for an Italian buyer?
FSSC 22000 is a scheme owned by the Foundation FSSC, whose licensed and accredited certification bodies assess applicants against its documents; ISO 22000 certification comes from an accredited body without that licence layer. Some buyers name the scheme in their terms, so read the supplier requirements before choosing which route to follow.
Who certifies ISO 22000 in Italy?
Look for a body whose accreditation, usually from Accredia, covers management-system certification in your food chain category. Sterling helps you build the system but certifies nothing. Request the accredited scope in writing before booking, and agree the audit language and controlled-document language with the body at application.
More on ISO 22000 for Italian 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 Italy and every other standard Sterling delivers there
Other standards Italian businesses ask Sterling for
Organisations in Italy 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
- Regulation (EC) No 852/2004, art. 5 — HACCP — eur-lex.europa.eu (accessed 7 Oct 2026)
- Accredia — national accreditation body — accredia.it (accessed 7 Oct 2026)
- Foundation FSSC — FSSC 22000 scheme — fssc.com (accessed 7 Oct 2026)
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