ISO 22000 certification in Vietnam

ISO 22000 certification in Vietnam at a glance

A valid ISO 22000 certificate changes the paperwork for a Vietnamese food business: Decree No. 15/2018/NĐ-CP exempts establishments holding GMP, HACCP, ISO 22000, IFS, BRC or FSSC 22000 certification, or an equivalent, from the food safety eligibility certificate, as the Ministry of Industry and Trade confirmed in an official answer to an instant noodle producer. Other food safety rules still apply. For processors, packers and exporters this lets one internationally recognised system serve both the domestic regime and foreign customers. ISO 22000 combines prerequisite programmes, HACCP-based hazard control and a management system with traceability, emergency preparedness and verification. The certificate is issued by a certification body, ideally one accredited for food safety management systems by BoA, which lists them among its IAF MLA programmes. Sterling's Ho Chi Minh City office prepares the food safety team, hazard analysis and records, with Effivity and Sterling Academy included. Vietnam-specific questions are answered below.

Who needs ISO 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.

• Food manufacturers and processorsA valid ISO 22000 certificate exempts an establishment from the food safety eligibility certificate.
• Seafood, beverage and packaged-food exportersForeign customers expect a recognised food safety management system.
• Food packaging and ingredient suppliersCustomers in the food chain ask for food safety management evidence.

ISO 22000 requirements in Vietnam

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

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: 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 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 ISO 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 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 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 product categories
• Status of prerequisite programmes and existing HACCP plans
• Scheduling around the Tết break

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 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 complexity
• Infrastructure upgrades for prerequisite programmes
• Laboratory testing for verification
• 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 ISO 22000

ISO 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 ISO 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.

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

ISO 22000 in Vietnam: questions clients ask

More on ISO 22000 for Vietnamese 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 Ho Chi Minh City
• ISO 22000 certification in Vietnam and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards Vietnamese businesses ask Sterling for

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

All 20 standards Sterling delivers in Vietnam →