FSSC 22000 certification in South Korea

FSSC 22000 certification in South Korea at a glance

FSSC 22000 is a private food safety scheme with a visible Korean footprint. Its owner, the Foundation for Food Safety Certification, is named on the Korea Accreditation Board's site as scheme owner for an FSSC 22000 accreditation scheme, and KAB's recognition table also lists FSSC 22000 within the international arrangements. The scheme sits beside two other routes that food businesses cannot overlook: HACCP under the Food Sanitation Act, administered by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and ISO 22000, which KAB lists with the FSSC documents. Food manufacturers, ingredient processors and exporters that supply retail and foodservice customers are typical applicants. Sterling's Tokyo office prepares the food safety system, prerequisite programmes and evidence, with Effivity and Sterling Academy included with the engagement, while an accredited certification body issues the certificate. Sterling does not certify.

Who needs FSSC 22000 in South Korea, and what happens without it

In South Korea 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 retail and foodservice customersKAB offers an FSSC 22000 accreditation scheme with the Foundation for Food Safety Certification as scheme owner, giving certified manufacturers a recognised route.
• Food exportersKAB's recognition table lists FSSC 22000 among the scopes it holds within the international arrangements.
• Ingredient processors and co-packersThe Food Sanitation Act already requires designated businesses to apply HACCP, and FSSC 22000 builds a certified food safety system on the same hazard-control base.
• Businesses with ISO 22000 in placeKAB lists the FSSC scheme with ISO 22000 and the scheme's own standard documents, so an existing ISO 22000 system carries over.

FSSC 22000 requirements in South Korea

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

In South Korea 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 South Korea

One team from the Tokyo office carries the work from scoping to certificate. Clients across South Korea are served from Sterling's Tokyo 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 FSSC 22000 and the South Korean 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 South Korea?

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

• Number of sites, product categories and lines in scope
• Prerequisite programmes and food defence and fraud controls
• Existing HACCP or ISO 22000 system maturity
• Certification body scheduling around the Seollal and Chuseok holiday periods

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 South Korea?

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 South Korea these factors move both.

• Number of sites and product categories
• Facility or equipment upgrades the gap analysis calls for
• Certification body and scheme fees quoted separately from consulting
• Integration with ISO 9001 or ISO 14001 work

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 South Korea

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 South Korea 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 South Korea: questions clients ask

More on FSSC 22000 for South Korean organisations

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

Other standards South Korean businesses ask Sterling for

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

All 22 standards Sterling delivers in South Korea →