FSSC 22000 certification in Sri Lanka

FSSC 22000 certification in Sri Lanka at a glance

When a retail customer abroad asks a Sri Lankan food manufacturer for FSSC 22000, it is asking for a specific scheme, not just a safe plant. Foundation FSSC owns the scheme, which uses ISO 22000 with the ISO 22002 series of prerequisite programme standards, and it states that it monitors its licensed certification bodies through its integrity programme. Local law sets the baseline separately: the Food (Hygiene) Regulations 2011 under the Food Act, No. 26 of 1980 apply to all food establishments without naming the scheme. Certificates come from licensed certification bodies, never from Sterling. Sterling's Mumbai office helps plants run the gap assessment, strengthen prerequisite programmes and scheme-specific controls, and prepare for audit, with Effivity software and Sterling Academy training included with the engagement.

Who needs FSSC 22000 in Sri Lanka, and what happens without it

In Sri Lanka 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 global retailers and brandsRetail and brand buyers often name a benchmarked food safety scheme in their supplier conditions.
• Processors already certified to ISO 22000FSSC 22000 builds on ISO 22000 with sector prerequisite programme standards and additional scheme requirements.
• Food packaging manufacturersFood makers ask upstream packaging suppliers to show hygiene controls recognised by their own auditors.
• Manufacturers meeting Food Act hygiene rulesThe Food (Hygiene) Regulations 2011 set the baseline that any food safety scheme builds on.

FSSC 22000 requirements in Sri Lanka

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

In Sri Lanka 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 Sri Lanka

One team from the Mumbai office carries the work from scoping to certificate. Clients across Sri Lanka are served from Sterling's Mumbai 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 Sri Lankan 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 Sri Lanka?

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

• Number of sites, product categories and lines in scope
• State of prerequisite programmes and the food safety system
• Scheme requirements beyond ISO 22000 and the prerequisite programme standards
• Certification body scheduling around Poya days and seasonal production

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 Sri Lanka?

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 Sri Lanka these factors move both.

• Headcount and number of sites and lines
• Number of products, ingredients and suppliers
• Certification body audit fees quoted separately from consulting
• Laboratory testing, pest control and facility upgrades

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 Sri Lanka

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 Sri Lanka 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 Sri Lanka: questions clients ask

More on FSSC 22000 for Sri Lankan organisations

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

Other standards Sri Lankan businesses ask Sterling for

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

All 23 standards Sterling delivers in Sri Lanka →