ISO 22000 certification in Switzerland

ISO 22000 certification in Switzerland at a glance

A Swiss food business must already run a HACCP-based system, and ISO 22000 gives that system a management framework an accredited body can certify. Under the Food and Utility Articles Ordinance, anyone who produces, processes or treats food applies procedures based on the HACCP system or its principles, and the Hygiene Ordinance requires trained staff and validation and verification of those procedures. Industry guidelines approved by the FSVO may serve as an alternative way of meeting the procedures. Customers in the food chain, a focus industry for Switzerland Global Enterprise, set their own requirements and may ask for a certificate. The certificate is issued by a certification body, preferably one accredited by the Swiss Accreditation Service, and official food control remains separate. Sterling's Frankfurt office supports Swiss food businesses with hazard analysis, prerequisite programmes, traceability and audit preparation, drawing on 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries, with Effivity and Sterling Academy included with the engagement.

Who needs ISO 22000 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 processorsThey must apply procedures based on the HACCP system or its principles, which ISO 22000 integrates into a management system.
• Ingredient, packaging and logistics suppliers to food companiesFood is a focus industry for Switzerland Global Enterprise, and customers in the chain set their own supplier requirements.
• Businesses relying on approved industry guidelinesGuidelines approved by the FSVO may be used as an alternative to the ordinance's procedures, and some businesses add a certified system for customers.
• Caterers and service operators handling foodThe Hygiene Ordinance's training and HACCP duties apply to responsible persons across food handling.

ISO 22000 requirements in Switzerland

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

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: 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 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 ISO 22000 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 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 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 sites, products and process steps
• State of prerequisite programmes and HACCP plan
• Traceability and recall exercise evidence
• Certification body scheduling

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 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 categories
• Hygiene and traceability improvements
• Certification body fees quoted separately from consulting
• Combination with ISO 9001 or a retailer scheme

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 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 ISO 22000 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.

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

ISO 22000 in Switzerland: questions clients ask

More on ISO 22000 for Swiss 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 Switzerland and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards Swiss businesses ask Sterling for

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

All 21 standards Sterling delivers in Switzerland →