FSSC 22000 certification in Vietnam

FSSC 22000 certification in Vietnam at a glance

Vietnamese seafood, beverage and processed-food plants selling to global retailers and brand owners are often asked for a GFSI-recognised scheme, and FSSC 22000 is the one built directly on ISO 22000. Foundation FSSC owns the scheme, which adds sector prerequisite programmes and additional requirements, and certificates are issued only by certification bodies it licenses that are accredited for the scheme. At home the certificate also counts: Decree No. 15/2018/NĐ-CP lists FSSC 22000 among the certifications that exempt an establishment from the food safety eligibility certificate. For an exporter, one system therefore answers both the foreign customer and the domestic food safety regime. Sterling's Ho Chi Minh City office develops the prerequisite programmes, hazard analysis, food defence and food fraud assessments and internal audits, with Effivity and Sterling Academy included. Points specific to Vietnam follow.

Who needs FSSC 22000 in Vietnam, and what happens without it

In Vietnam 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.

• Seafood, beverage and processed-food exportersGlobal retail and brand customers specify GFSI-recognised schemes.
• Food manufacturers seeking the domestic exemptionFSSC 22000 is listed among certificates exempting establishments from the food safety eligibility certificate.
• Food packaging manufacturersFSSC 22000 covers packaging categories required by food customers.

FSSC 22000 requirements in Vietnam

Strip away the vocabulary and FSSC 22000 asks a company to prove six things about food safety to the level global buyers expect.

In Vietnam 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: FSSC 22000 explained →

• FSSC 22000 requirements, clause by clause in plain language

How to get FSSC 22000 certified in Vietnam

One team from the Ho Chi Minh City office carries the work from scoping to certificate. Delivery across Vietnam from the Ho Chi Minh City office, on-site and remote.

1. Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
2. Gap assessment against FSSC 22000 and the Vietnamese 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 FSSC 22000 certification process, step by step

How long does FSSC 22000 certification take in Vietnam?

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

• Number of production lines and food chain categories
• Status of prerequisite programmes and food defence and fraud assessments
• Scheduling around the Tết break

Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.

• Scope and timeline estimator

How much does FSSC 22000 certification cost in Vietnam?

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 Vietnam these factors move both.

• Number of sites and product categories
• Infrastructure upgrades for prerequisite programmes
• Certification body audit fees quoted separately from consulting

Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.

• What makes up the cost of FSSC 22000

FSSC 22000 consultants and certification bodies in Vietnam

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 FSSC 22000 and your sector, and that its certificates can be verified online.
• Ask the consultant how the local requirements in Vietnam 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.

FSSC 22000 in Vietnam: questions clients ask

More on FSSC 22000 for Vietnamese organisations

• FSSC 22000: the complete guide
• Watch: How to implement FSSC 22000
• Sterling in Ho Chi Minh City
• FSSC 22000 certification in Vietnam and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards Vietnamese businesses ask Sterling for

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

All 20 standards Sterling delivers in Vietnam →