Nepal · Certification
ISO 22000 certification in Nepal
Achieve ISO 22000 certification in Nepal 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 Nepal
Clients include
ISO 22000 certification in Nepal at a glance
Food Hygiene and Quality Act, 2081 (खाद्य स्वच्छता तथा गुणस्तर ऐन, २०८१) refers to ISO 22000, yet none of the Nepali instruments checked makes it compulsory. Buyers in Nepal ask for it anyway.
Nepal's Food Hygiene and Quality Act, 2081 already asks food producers, processors and packagers to run a food hygiene management system, and it spells out what that means: good manufacturing practice, good hygiene practice and HACCP. ISO 22000 takes those elements and adds management review, internal audit and continual improvement in a form an accredited certification body can certify. The Department of Food Technology and Quality Control enforces the Act, licenses food businesses and handles export certification, so a working system is the evidence that matters on an inspection day. Dairy, noodle, spice, tea and beverage producers, and suppliers to hotels, are typical candidates. Sterling's Mumbai office maps your plant against the Act and the standard, builds prerequisite programmes and the HACCP plan, and trains your team, with Effivity and Sterling Academy included with the engagement.
Who needs ISO 22000 in Nepal, and what happens without it
In Nepal 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 and packagersThe Food Hygiene and Quality Act, 2081 requires them to adopt a food hygiene management system built on GMP, GHP and HACCP.
- Food exportersDFTQC handles import and export certification, and overseas buyers often ask for a certified food safety management system.
- Hotels and caterers serving international guestsKitchens supplying tourism operators face buyer audits that ISO 22000 can answer.
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 Nepal
Strip away the vocabulary and ISO 22000 requires a company to prove six things about keeping food safe from supplier to customer.
In Nepal 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 Nepal
One team from the Mumbai office carries the work from scoping to certificate. Clients across Nepal are served from Sterling's Mumbai 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 Nepali 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 Nepal?
There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In Nepal these are the factors that set the timeline.
- Number of product lines, plants and HACCP plans
- State of prerequisite programmes and premises
- DFTQC licence status and any corrective actions
- Seasonal production peaks and festival calendar
Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.
How much does ISO 22000 certification cost in Nepal?
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 Nepal these factors move both.
- Number of sites and product categories
- Premises upgrades for hygiene and pest control
- Laboratory testing for verification
- Certification body audit 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 Nepal
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 Nepal 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 Nepal (2)
| Instrument | How it treats the standard |
|---|---|
| Food Hygiene and Quality Act, 2081 (खाद्य स्वच्छता तथा गुणस्तर ऐन, २०८१) | Refers to / expects Defines the food hygiene management system as good manufacturing practice, good hygiene practice and HACCP plus other prescribed practices, and requires producers, processors and packagers to adopt it; ISO 22000 is not named. |
| Department of Food Technology and Quality Control mandate | Does not name the standard DFTQC implements and enforces food and feed laws, inspects, tests and certifies imports and exports. |
Accreditation, audit language and remote audits in Nepal
Choose a certification body accredited for this standard by an accreditation body within the international mutual recognition arrangements (Global ACI — Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated, formerly the IAF MLA), and check that the accreditation scope covers the standard and your sector. NBSM, the national standards body, describes no national accreditation body for certification bodies, so certificates used in Nepal usually carry accreditation from an accreditation body in another economy; ask for the accreditation certificate and scope. Edition and transition details: ISO 22000 hub →
Audit language
Most Nepali laws and official notices are issued in Nepali, and the Nepal Law Commission publishes English translations of many Acts, including the Privacy Act. Agree the audit language, any interpreter and the language of controlled documents with the certification body at application.
Remote and on-site
Stage audits are held at operating sites; document review and some interviews can be remote at the certification body's discretion.
ISO 22000 in Nepal: questions clients ask
Does Nepal's food law require ISO 22000?
No, but it requires something close. The Food Hygiene and Quality Act, 2081 obliges producers, processors and packagers to adopt a food hygiene management system, defined as good manufacturing practice, good hygiene practice and HACCP. ISO 22000 wraps those elements in a certifiable management system. Check DFTQC's licensing conditions and take legal advice on your category.
Who regulates food safety in Nepal?
The Department of Food Technology and Quality Control, under the Ministry of Health and Food Safety. It describes itself as the government authority that implements and enforces food and feed laws, with inspection, monitoring, laboratory testing and import and export certification roles. Certification to ISO 22000 is a separate, voluntary step taken with an accredited body.
Who certifies ISO 22000 for Nepali food businesses?
Certification bodies accredited for food safety management within the international arrangements, usually through accreditation in another economy. Export customers sometimes prefer a particular body, so ask them which certificate they accept before you apply, and check that the body's scope covers your food category and that its auditors can reach your plant.
Is ISO 22000 or FSSC 22000 better for a Nepali exporter?
It depends on the buyer. ISO 22000 meets the Act's hygiene expectations in a certifiable form, while FSSC 22000 adds prerequisite programme and scheme requirements that large retailers and brand owners often specify. Start from your customers' supplier requirements and build ISO 22000 so it can grow into FSSC 22000 later if needed.
More on ISO 22000 for Nepali 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 Nepal and every other standard Sterling delivers there
Other standards Nepali businesses ask Sterling for
Organisations in Nepal 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
- Food Hygiene and Quality Act, 2081 (खाद्य स्वच्छता तथा गुणस्तर ऐन, २०८१) — lawcommission.gov.np; dftqc.gov.np (accessed 12 Oct 2026)
- Department of Food Technology and Quality Control mandate — dftqc.gov.np (accessed 12 Oct 2026)
- Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology (NBSM) — nbsm.gov.np (accessed 12 Oct 2026)
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