Netherlands · Certification
ISO 22000 certification in the Netherlands
Achieve ISO 22000 certification in the Netherlands with Sterling: 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries, 20+ years.
- Accredited certification
- Enschede office team
- Effivity software included
- Academy training included
Who asks for ISO 22000 in the Netherlands
Clients include
ISO 22000 certification in the Netherlands at a glance
In the Netherlands, ISO 22000 is asked for by buyers and schemes rather than required by law. The drivers below show where the pressure comes from.
Food processors, ingredient suppliers, cold-store operators and packaging converters in the Netherlands share a legal baseline: register with the NVWA and work to a food safety plan based on HACCP principles or an approved hygiene code. ISO 22000 turns that baseline into a full food safety management system, adding management commitment, prerequisite programmes, hazard analysis using the HACCP principles, traceability, emergency preparedness, internal audit and management review. It is also the core of FSSC 22000, the GFSI-recognised scheme owned by the Netherlands-based Foundation FSSC, so organisations often start with ISO 22000 and extend later. Certification is issued by a certification body accredited for ISO 22000 by the Raad voor Accreditatie (RvA) or another accreditation body within the international recognition arrangements. Companies in the Foodvalley region and the Rotterdam port area supply export customers who ask for one of these certificates. Sterling's Enschede office runs the gap assessment, builds the system around existing HACCP plans and prepares the team for audit.
Who needs ISO 22000 in the Netherlands, and what happens without it
In the Netherlands 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 ingredient suppliersISO 22000 builds a management system on the legal HACCP baseline.
- Cold-store and food logistics operators around RotterdamShippers and retailers ask for food safety certification.
- Agri-food companies in the Foodvalley regionExport buyers ask for ISO 22000 or FSSC 22000.
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 the Netherlands
Strip away the vocabulary and ISO 22000 requires a company to prove six things about keeping food safe from supplier to customer.
In the Netherlands 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 the Netherlands
One team from the Enschede office carries the work from scoping to certificate. All twelve provinces, on-site from Enschede; 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 Dutch 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 the Netherlands?
There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In the Netherlands these are the factors that set the timeline.
- Number of sites and product categories
- Maturity of HACCP plans and prerequisite programmes
- Traceability and recall testing evidence
- Time needed to generate evidence of internal audit and management review
Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.
How much does ISO 22000 certification cost in the Netherlands?
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 the Netherlands these factors move both.
- Number of sites and production lines
- Prerequisite programme upgrades
- Certification body audit fees quoted separately from consulting
- Later extension to FSSC 22000
Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.
ISO 22000 consultants and certification bodies in the Netherlands
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 the Netherlands 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 the Netherlands (3)
| Instrument | How it treats the standard |
|---|---|
| Food hygiene rules — HACCP-based food safety plan and NVWA registration | Related HACCP-based plan or approved hygiene code required; ISO 22000 not required by law. |
| FSSC 22000 scheme (Foundation FSSC) | Market driver ISO 22000 is the core of the GFSI-recognised FSSC 22000 scheme owned by the Netherlands-based Foundation FSSC. |
| Raad voor Accreditatie (RvA) — national accreditation body for certification bodies | Market driver Accredited certification for ISO 22000 is available through the Dutch national accreditation body or another body within the international recognition arrangements; no mandate. |
Accreditation, audit language and remote audits in the Netherlands
Use a certification body accredited for this standard by the Raad voor Accreditatie (RvA) 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
Dutch and English are both used for audits; agree the audit and document language with the certification body at application, and follow any language requirement in a tender or contract.
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 the Netherlands: questions clients ask
Is ISO 22000 required by Dutch law?
No. What the law requires of Dutch food businesses is a HACCP-based food safety plan or an approved hygiene code, and ISO 22000 is not required by law. It is a voluntary standard, usually adopted because a customer or supply chain partner asks for it. Check your legal duties with the NVWA.
Should a Dutch food company choose ISO 22000 or FSSC 22000?
FSSC 22000 adds GFSI recognition on top of ISO 22000. ISO 22000 is the core of the FSSC 22000 scheme owned by the Netherlands-based Foundation FSSC, so the choice usually follows what your customers and retailers ask for. If nobody asks for GFSI recognition, the ISO standard on its own may be enough.
Who issues ISO 22000 certificates in the Netherlands?
An accredited certification body does, and the RvA or an equivalent accreditation body in the international arrangements provides that accreditation. The scope should include ISO 22000 and your food sector, and it is sensible to confirm that in writing during selection.
More on ISO 22000 for Dutch 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 Enschede
- ISO 22000 certification in the Netherlands and every other standard Sterling delivers there
Other standards Dutch businesses ask Sterling for
Organisations in the Netherlands often combine ISO 22000 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.
Start with a free discovery call from the Enschede 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 rules — HACCP-based food safety plan and NVWA registration — business.gov.nl (accessed 5 Oct 2026)
- FSSC 22000 scheme (Foundation FSSC) — fssc.com (accessed 5 Oct 2026)
- Raad voor Accreditatie (RvA) — national accreditation body for certification bodies — rva.nl (accessed 5 Oct 2026)
- Raad voor Accreditatie (RvA, Dutch Accreditation Council) — rva.nl (accessed 5 Oct 2026)
- CO₂ Performance Ladder — co2performanceladder.com (accessed 5 Oct 2026)
- 'Pas toe of leg uit' (comply-or-explain) list of open standards — zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl (accessed 5 Oct 2026)
Talk to a consultant
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