HACCP certification in Switzerland

HACCP certification in Switzerland at a glance

HACCP is not optional for most Swiss food businesses. The Food and Utility Articles Ordinance requires anyone who produces, processes or treats food to apply procedures based on the HACCP system or its principles, in a form adapted to the safety risk and the scale of production, with exceptions for primary production and small direct sellers of their own primary products. The Hygiene Ordinance requires the staff concerned to be adequately trained, and it expects HACCP-based procedures to be validated and verified against microbiological criteria where appropriate. Industry guidelines approved by the FSVO can serve as an alternative route. Third-party HACCP certification is voluntary, but retailers and exporters may ask for it, and it comes from a certification body, preferably one accredited by the Swiss Accreditation Service. Sterling's Frankfurt office helps Swiss food businesses build the hazard analysis, critical control points, monitoring records and training evidence, with Effivity software and Sterling Academy training included with the engagement.

Who needs HACCP in Switzerland, and what happens without it

In Switzerland 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 processorsAnyone who produces, processes or treats food must apply procedures based on the HACCP system or its principles, in a form adapted to the safety risk and production scale.
• Dairy and raw-milk product makersThe Hygiene Ordinance requires HACCP-based procedures to be taken into account in heat treatment of milk and suitable procedures where milk products are made from raw milk.
• Smaller food businesses using industry guidelinesIndustry guidelines approved by the FSVO may stand in for the ordinance's procedures and may set simplified self-control requirements for very small businesses.
• Exporters and suppliers to retailersFood is a focus industry for Switzerland Global Enterprise, and buyers may ask for independent evidence of a working HACCP system.

HACCP requirements in Switzerland

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

In Switzerland 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 Switzerland

One team from the Frankfurt office carries the work from scoping to certificate. Clients across Switzerland are served from Sterling's Frankfurt 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 Swiss 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 Switzerland?

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

• Number of product categories and process steps
• State of prerequisite hygiene programmes
• Validation and verification data already held
• Certification body or inspection scheduling

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 Switzerland?

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 Switzerland these factors move both.

• Number of sites and product lines
• Laboratory testing and equipment improvements
• Certification body fees where certification is chosen
• Training of HACCP team members

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 Switzerland

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 Switzerland 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 Switzerland: questions clients ask

More on HACCP for Swiss organisations

• HACCP: the complete guide
• Watch: How to implement HACCP
• HACCP certification in Switzerland and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards Swiss businesses ask Sterling for

Organisations in Switzerland often combine HACCP with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.

All 21 standards Sterling delivers in Switzerland →