FSSC 22000 certification in Japan

FSSC 22000 certification in Japan at a glance

Japanese food factories supplying international retailers and brand owners are often asked for a GFSI-recognised certificate, and FSSC 22000 is one of the schemes that satisfies it. Owned by Foundation FSSC, it builds on ISO 22000 with sector prerequisite programmes and additional scheme requirements, and its certificates come only from certification bodies licensed by the Foundation and accredited for the scheme. Japanese manufacturers start with an advantage: since 1 June 2021 the Food Sanitation Act has required, in principle, every food business operator to run hygiene control in line with HACCP, so hazard analysis and critical control points are already part of daily work. The gap is usually the management system around them, the prerequisite programme detail and readiness for the scheme's unannounced audits. Sterling's Tokyo office closes that gap for food, packaging and ingredient manufacturers, with Effivity and Sterling Academy included in the engagement.

Who needs FSSC 22000 in Japan, and what happens without it

In Japan 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 supplying global retailers and brand ownersBuyers ask for a GFSI-recognised certificate.
• All food business operators already running HACCP-based hygiene controlHACCP-based hygiene control has applied in principle to all food business operators since 1 June 2021.
• Packaging and ingredient manufacturers in food supply chainsBrand owners extend scheme requirements to suppliers.

FSSC 22000 requirements in Japan

Strip away the vocabulary and FSSC 22000 asks a company to prove six things about food safety to the level global buyers expect.

In Japan 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 →

• FSSC 22000 requirements, clause by clause in plain language

How to get FSSC 22000 certified in Japan

One team from the Tokyo office carries the work from scoping to certificate. Nationwide from the Tokyo office, on-site where the scope requires; remote delivery for distributed teams.

1. Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
2. Gap assessment against FSSC 22000 and the Japanese requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
3. Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
4. Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before the certification body arrives.
5. Certification body stage 1 and stage 2, then surveillanceAn accredited body audits and decides. Sterling supports the audits and the three-year cycle.

The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements.Sterling does not certify. Certification decisions stay with independent bodies.

• The FSSC 22000 certification process, step by step

How long does FSSC 22000 certification take in Japan?

There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In Japan these are the factors that set the timeline.

• Food chain category and number of production lines
• Maturity of prerequisite programmes and HACCP plans already required by law
• Unannounced audit requirements of the scheme

Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.

• Scope and timeline estimator

How much does FSSC 22000 certification cost in Japan?

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 Japan these factors move both.

• Number of sites and product categories
• Certification body audit fees quoted separately from consulting
• Infrastructure upgrades for prerequisite programmes

Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.

• What makes up the cost of FSSC 22000

FSSC 22000 consultants and certification bodies in Japan

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 Japan 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.

FSSC 22000 in Japan: questions clients ask

More on FSSC 22000 for Japanese organisations

• FSSC 22000: the complete guide
• Watch: How to implement FSSC 22000
• Sterling in Tokyo
• FSSC 22000 certification in Japan and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards Japanese businesses ask Sterling for

Organisations in Japan often combine FSSC 22000 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.

All 21 standards Sterling delivers in Japan →