ISO 22000 certification in South Korea

ISO 22000 certification in South Korea at a glance

Food safety certification in South Korea has several layers, and ISO 22000 is the one that follows the international route. The Korea Accreditation Board lists ISO 22000 among its accreditation schemes and within the scopes it holds in the international recognition arrangements, and the certification bodies it accredits issue the certificates. Beside it, the Food Sanitation Act makes HACCP a duty for designated foods, certified by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and FSSC 22000 adds a private scheme owned by the Foundation for Food Safety Certification. ISO 22000 places hazard control inside a managed food safety system rather than leaving it as a stand-alone plan. Food manufacturers, processors and exporters are typical applicants. Sterling's Tokyo office prepares the food safety management system and its evidence, with Effivity and Sterling Academy included with the engagement; accredited certification bodies issue the certificate, not Sterling.

Who needs ISO 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 and processorsKAB lists ISO 22000 among its accreditation schemes and within the scopes it holds in the international arrangements.
• Businesses already applying HACCP under the Food Sanitation ActThe Act makes HACCP a duty for designated foods, and ISO 22000 places hazard control inside a managed food safety system.
• Food exportersAn accredited ISO 22000 certificate is designed for acceptance in other markets through KAB's recognition.
• Businesses stepping up to FSSC 22000KAB lists the FSSC scheme with ISO 22000 and the scheme owner's standard documents.

ISO 22000 requirements in South Korea

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

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: 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 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 ISO 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 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 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 hazard analysis maturity
• Existing HACCP certification and records
• 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.

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

How much does ISO 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 audit fees quoted separately from consulting
• Integration with HACCP, FSSC 22000 or ISO 9001 work

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 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 ISO 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.

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

ISO 22000 in South Korea: questions clients ask

More on ISO 22000 for South Korean 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 South Korea and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards South Korean businesses ask Sterling for

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

All 22 standards Sterling delivers in South Korea →