ISO 22000 certification in Mexico

ISO 22000 certification in Mexico at a glance

Food safety rules in Mexico start with NOM-251-SSA1-2009, a mandatory hygiene norm for any establishment processing food, beverages or supplements, and end with buyers who want something more than legal compliance. ISO 22000 is that something for many suppliers: a certifiable management system that wraps HACCP principles in prerequisite programmes, communication and improvement. Global ACI shows the Entidad Mexicana de Acreditación as recognised for ISO 22000 certification, with ISO 22003-1, since October 2015, so an accredited Mexican certificate sits inside the international arrangements. The hygiene norm and the certificate are separate, and holding one never excuses the other. Sterling's New York office helps manufacturers, ingredient suppliers and catering operators build the system, train internal auditors and prepare for the certification body, with Effivity and Sterling Academy included with the engagement. The certificate comes from an accredited body, not from Sterling.

Who needs ISO 22000 in Mexico, and what happens without it

In Mexico 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 manufacturers selling to retailers and institutionsBuyers want a certified food safety management system, and ISO 22000 supplies one built on HACCP principles.
• Ingredient, packaging and logistics suppliers in food chainsThe food safety standard applies across the chain, so suppliers upstream and downstream of the plant are asked to certify.
• Processors that need a documented system beyond the hygiene normThe mandatory hygiene norm sets the baseline, and a management system adds hazard analysis, verification and continual improvement.
• Food-service and catering operatorsLarge kitchens use the management system to control hazards across sites and suppliers.

ISO 22000 requirements in Mexico

Strip away the vocabulary and ISO 22000 requires a company to prove six things about keeping food safe from supplier to customer.

In Mexico 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 →

• ISO 22000 requirements, clause by clause in plain language
• The documents ISO 22000 expects
• ISO 22000 checklist

How to get ISO 22000 certified in Mexico

One team from the New York office carries the work from scoping to certificate. Clients across Mexico are served from Sterling's New York office, on-site where the work needs it and remotely otherwise.

1. Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
2. Gap assessment against ISO 22000 and the Mexican 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 ISO 22000 certification process, step by step
• ISO 22000 gap analysis
• ISO 22000 implementation plan
• ISO 22000 internal audit

How long does ISO 22000 certification take in Mexico?

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

• State of prerequisite programmes and operational prerequisite programmes
• Hazard analysis and critical control point records for each product
• Number of sites, lines and food chain categories in scope
• Certification body scheduling

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

• What drives the ISO 22000 timeline
• Scope and timeline estimator

How much does ISO 22000 certification cost in Mexico?

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 Mexico these factors move both.

• Number of sites, lines and products in scope
• Upgrades to premises, equipment and monitoring devices
• Certification body audit fees, quoted separately from consulting
• Laboratory testing and verification

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

• What makes up the cost of ISO 22000

ISO 22000 consultants and certification bodies in Mexico

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 Mexico 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.

• Choosing an ISO 22000 certification body
• How to verify an ISO 22000 certificate

ISO 22000 in Mexico: questions clients ask

More on ISO 22000 for Mexican 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 Mexico and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards Mexican businesses ask Sterling for

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

All 21 standards Sterling delivers in Mexico →