HACCP certification in Taiwan

HACCP certification in Taiwan at a glance

A food business that Taiwan's health authority designates cannot open without a working HACCP system. The Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation requires designated businesses to comply with the food safety control system, register before operating and obtain certification of their sanitation and safety management systems, and the Regulations on Food Safety Control System define the control system by HACCP principles: a team, a hazard analysis, critical control points and critical limits. Certification is performed by institutions the Ministry of Health and Welfare accredits, and its regulations expect those bodies to hold ISO/TS 22003 accreditation from a member of the international accreditation arrangements. Sterling does not certify. Sterling designs the plan, trains the team and builds the records for Taiwanese food processors and exporters from its Tokyo office, with Effivity and Sterling Academy included with the engagement.

Who needs HACCP in Taiwan, and what happens without it

For some organisations in Taiwan it is a legal requirement. For most, the question comes from a buyer, a regulator or a partner that wants proof before it signs. These are the organisations that get asked.

• Food businesses in the categories and scale the central authority designatesThey must comply with the food safety control system, which the Regulations define by HACCP principles.
• Processors and manufacturers handling raw materials, processing, storage and transportThe system covers inspection and acceptance of raw materials, processing, manufacture, storage and transportation.
• Food exporters answering buyer auditsImporting customers ask for an operating HACCP system and records.
• Newly registering food businessesDesignated businesses register with the authority before they begin operations.

HACCP requirements in Taiwan

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

In Taiwan 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 Taiwan

One team from the Tokyo office carries the work from scoping to certificate. Clients across Taiwan are served from Sterling's Tokyo 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 Taiwanese 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 Taiwan?

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

• Whether the business falls in a designated category and scale
• Product range, process steps and site count
• Staff training for the HACCP team
• Validation of critical limits and monitoring records

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 Taiwan?

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 Taiwan these factors move both.

• Number of sites and production lines in scope
• Laboratory, monitoring and hygiene upgrades
• Certification body fees quoted separately from consulting
• Training for 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 Taiwan

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 Taiwan 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 Taiwan: questions clients ask

More on HACCP for Taiwanese organisations

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

Other standards Taiwanese businesses ask Sterling for

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

All 22 standards Sterling delivers in Taiwan →