ISO 22000 certification in the United Kingdom

ISO 22000 certification in the UK at a glance

Packaging converters, ingredient suppliers and cold-store operators sit in the food chain just as manufacturers do, and ISO 22000 is written for all of them. It wraps the HACCP-based food safety management system that UK law already requires of food businesses, as the Food Standards Agency's guidance explains, inside a full management system: context, leadership, prerequisite programmes, hazard control, traceability, emergency preparedness, internal audit and management review. For sites that later need a benchmarked scheme, ISO 22000 is also the base on which FSSC 22000 is built, so the work carries forward. Food and agri-tech feature among the Humber Freeport's target sectors, and buyers across the UK increasingly ask suppliers for certified evidence rather than a plan on file. Certification is granted by a certification body accredited by UKAS or by another accreditation body within the international mutual recognition arrangements. Sterling's London office prepares the system and the site, with Effivity and Sterling Academy included.

Who needs ISO 22000 in the UK, and what happens without it

In the UK 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 processorsUK food businesses must have a food safety management system meeting HACCP principles; ISO 22000 provides a certifiable management framework around it.
• Packaging, ingredients and logistics firms in the food chainISO 22000 applies to any organisation in the food chain.
• Food and agri-tech businesses in the HumberHumber Freeport targets food and agri-tech.
• Sites planning to move to FSSC 22000FSSC 22000 is based on ISO 22000.

ISO 22000 requirements in the UK

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

In the UK 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 the UK

One team from the London office carries the work from scoping to certificate. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, on-site from London; remote delivery for distributed teams.

1. Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
2. Gap assessment against ISO 22000 and the UK 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 the UK?

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

• Number of sites and product categories
• Existing HACCP plan and prerequisite programmes
• Traceability and recall testing
• Internal audit and management review before stage 2

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 the UK?

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 the UK these factors move both.

• Sites and product categories in scope
• Hygiene and infrastructure upgrades
• Certification body audit fees, quoted separately from consulting
• Laboratory testing

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 the UK

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 the UK 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 the UK: questions clients ask

More on ISO 22000 for UK organisations

• ISO 22000: the complete guide
• ISO 22000 certification: the regional 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
• Sterling in London
• ISO 22000 certification in the UK and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards UK businesses ask Sterling for

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

All 23 standards Sterling delivers in the United Kingdom →