Sri Lanka · Certification
ISO 22000 certification in Sri Lanka
Achieve ISO 22000 certification in Sri Lanka with Sterling: 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries, 20+ years.
- Accredited certification
- Mumbai office team
- Effivity software included
- Academy training included
Who asks for ISO 22000 in Sri Lanka
Clients include
ISO 22000 certification in Sri Lanka at a glance
One Sri Lankan instrument bears on ISO 22000. It does not name the standard. So why do buyers in Sri Lanka keep asking for the certificate?
A Sri Lankan food packer selling to a supermarket chain abroad will be asked for more than a clean premises, and ISO 22000 is one way to show it. The Food Act, No. 26 of 1980 and the Food (Hygiene) Regulations 2011 apply to all establishments that process, transport, distribute, handle, store or sell food, but they do not name ISO 22000, so the certificate is a buyer and management choice. Certification is by an accredited certification body, and SLAB lists food safety management systems within its recognised management systems scope. Sterling's Mumbai office helps food businesses build hazard analysis, prerequisite programmes and traceability, run internal audits and prepare for certification, with Effivity software and Sterling Academy training included with the engagement.
Who needs ISO 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 and beverage manufacturers and packersThe Food (Hygiene) Regulations 2011 apply to all establishments that process, transport, distribute, handle, store or sell food, and a food safety system helps meet them.
- Exporters of processed foodOverseas buyers and importers ask for a recognised food safety management certificate beyond local hygiene rules.
- Catering, hospitality and food service suppliersEstablishments handling food come under the same hygiene regulations and often supply to larger operators.
- Packaging and ingredient suppliers to food makersFood manufacturers ask upstream suppliers to show controlled hygiene and traceability.
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 Sri Lanka
Strip away the vocabulary and ISO 22000 requires a company to prove six things about keeping food safe from supplier to customer.
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: ISO 22000 explained →
How to get ISO 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.
- Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
- Gap assessment against ISO 22000 and the Sri Lankan 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 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, lines and sites in scope
- State of hygiene programmes, traceability and hazard analysis
- Supplier controls and allergen management
- 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.
How much does ISO 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 production 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.
ISO 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 ISO 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.
Laws and regulations that drive ISO 22000 in Sri Lanka (3)
| Instrument | How it treats the standard |
|---|---|
| Food Act, No. 26 of 1980 and the Food (Hygiene) Regulations 2011 | Does not name ISO 22000 The Regulations apply to all establishments dealing with the processing, transport, distribution, handling, storage or sale of food and set premises and hygiene requirements. |
| SLAB recognition for food safety management systems certification | Scheme rule SLAB's recognition page lists food safety management systems within its management systems scope, and its scheme page lists ISO 22000. |
| Export markets and buyer requirements | Expected in practice Buyers set their own food safety evidence; no Sri Lankan instrument makes the certificate compulsory. |
"Expected in practice" means the instrument asks for the outcomes ISO 22000 covers without naming a standard, and ISO 22000 is what buyers and regulators commonly accept as evidence of them.
Accreditation, audit language and remote audits in Sri Lanka
Choose a certification body accredited for this standard by the Sri Lanka Accreditation Board (SLAB) or by an 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. SLAB's recognition page lists food safety management systems and its scheme page lists ISO 22000, so a certificate from a body accredited by SLAB is a natural local route. A certificate does not replace the registration and hygiene duties under the Food Act. Edition and transition details: ISO 22000 hub →
Audit language
Business records, standards and tenders are mostly in English, and the Constitution names English as the link language alongside Sinhala and Tamil; interviews with operators and workers may run in Sinhala or Tamil. Agree the audit language, any interpreter and the language of controlled documents with the certification body at application.
Remote and on-site
Audits are on-site at production, storage and dispatch areas; document review and some interviews can be remote at the certification body's discretion.
ISO 22000 in Sri Lanka: questions clients ask
Is ISO 22000 required by Sri Lankan food law?
No. The Food (Hygiene) Regulations 2011 under the Food Act, No. 26 of 1980 set premises and hygiene requirements for all establishments dealing with food and do not name ISO 22000. The certificate is a buyer, export or management choice. Confirm licensing and registration duties with the Ministry of Health before planning certification.
Does SLAB accredit certification bodies for food safety systems?
SLAB's recognition page lists food safety management systems in the scope it signs under the multilateral arrangement, and its scheme page names ISO 22000 among supported programmes. The practical test is the certificate itself: it should name ISO 22000 and cover your food category. Ask for it at application and confirm it with your main customer.
Does ISO 22000 cover the same ground as HACCP?
ISO 22000 is a management system standard for food safety that includes hazard analysis principles, while HACCP is a method and some schemes certify it separately. The Sri Lankan hygiene regulations name neither, so the choice follows your customers. Ask each buyer whether it wants a certificate, a documented HACCP plan or both.
Do export buyers require ISO 22000 from Sri Lankan food makers?
Often as a supplier condition, though not by law. Each importer or brand writes its own approval conditions, and none of the instruments cited here dictates them. Ask the buyer which certificate it recognises before you commit, since ISO 22000, FSSC 22000 and HACCP are different routes.
More on ISO 22000 for Sri Lankan 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 Sri Lanka and every other standard Sterling delivers there
Other standards Sri Lankan businesses ask Sterling for
Organisations in Sri Lanka often combine ISO 22000 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.
Start with a free discovery call from the Mumbai 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 Act, No. 26 of 1980 and the Food (Hygiene) Regulations 2011 — eohfs.health.gov.lk (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- SLAB recognition for food safety management systems certification — slab.lk (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- Export markets and buyer requirements — srilankabusiness.com (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
- Sri Lanka Accreditation Board for Conformity Assessment (SLAB) — slab.lk (accessed 11 Oct 2026)
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