HACCP certification in Sri Lanka

HACCP certification in Sri Lanka at a glance

A Sri Lankan exporter of processed food products is usually asked to show how hazards are controlled, and a verified HACCP plan is the common answer. The Food Act, No. 26 of 1980 and the Food (Hygiene) Regulations 2011 apply to all establishments dealing with food, yet neither names HACCP, so the certificate is a customer requirement and not a legal one. Where a certification scheme exists, the certificate is issued by a certification body, and SLAB's recognition page lists food safety management systems within its management systems scope. Sterling's Mumbai office helps food businesses build the hazard analysis, set critical control points, keep monitoring records and prepare for the audit, with Effivity software and Sterling Academy training included with the engagement.

Who needs HACCP 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 processors and manufacturers selling to retailersRetail and export customers commonly ask for a documented HACCP plan on top of the hygiene rules.
• Catering and food service operators supplying larger buyersPremises handling food fall under the Food (Hygiene) Regulations 2011, and customers ask how hazards are controlled.
• Food and agri-food exportersExport buyers set their own food safety approval conditions.
• Cold storage and distribution operatorsStorage and transport of food are within the scope of the hygiene regulations.

HACCP requirements in Sri Lanka

Strip away the vocabulary and HACCP asks a food business to prove six things about how it controls food safety hazards.

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: HACCP explained →

• HACCP requirements, clause by clause in plain language

How to get HACCP 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 HACCP 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 HACCP certification process, step by step
• HACCP internal audit

How long does HACCP 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 products, process steps and lines
• State of prerequisite programmes and monitoring records
• Validation of critical control points
• 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 HACCP 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 hazards, products and suppliers
• Certification body audit fees quoted separately from consulting
• Laboratory testing, calibration 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 HACCP

HACCP 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 HACCP 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.

HACCP in Sri Lanka: questions clients ask

More on HACCP for Sri Lankan organisations

• HACCP: the complete guide
• Watch: How to implement HACCP
• HACCP 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 HACCP with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.

All 23 standards Sterling delivers in Sri Lanka →