FSSC 22000, FSSC 22000 Version 5.1

FSSC 22000 releases version 5.1

Constanze Illner

Constanze Illner (she/her) is a research and communications officer in the area of sustainability and food safety.
Nov 19 , 2021

FSSC 22000 has released a new revision, with a mandatory effective date of April 1, 2021. Find out what the background is and what changes you can expect below.

The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) has updated its benchmarking requirements. As a result, GFSI-recognized food standards such as IFS, BRCGS and FSSC 22000 must implement the new or modified GFSI requirements in their own standards in a timely manner. FSSC 22000 has now complied with the request and released version 5.1 on November 3, 2020.

Key changes in GFSI 2020 include new requirements related to multi-site certification, product design and product development. To ensure compliance with these changes, FSSC 22000 has been updated.

Also new to the GFSI criteria: Food Safety Culture Requirements. However, FSSC 22000 does not change anything in this regard, as FSSC 22000 believes that the ISO 22000:2018 standard already covers the topic of food safety culture. For this reason, FSSC 22000 has published a guidance document that demonstrates how the food safety culture requirements are met.

All documents for version 5.1 can be downloaded for free here.

Key changes

FSSC 22000 has published a document in which all new features are color-coded. You can find this version here. In addition to minor language changes, there are new additional requirements for certified sites in section 2.5.

  • Section 2.5.1 now also covers the management of purchased goods. Categories C, D, I, G and K are now required to be able to provide a documented procedure for procurement in emergency situations. They are also now required to maintain a product specification review process to ensure continued compliance with food safety, legal and customer requirements.
  • Refer to section 2.5.2 for additional provisions for non-labeled products
  • For all certified locations, there are new requirements in Section 2.5.10 related to storage.
  • For Categories C & I, there are new requirements related to hazard analysis and cross-contamination prevention.
  • For Categories C, D, G, I & K, there is now a requirement to conduct routine (e.g., monthly) facility inspections/PRP checks to verify that the production environment and equipment are maintained in an adequate condition (see 2.5.12).
  • For Categories C, D, E, F, I, and K, a product design and development procedure shall be established, implemented, and maintained. This refers to new products and changes to products or changes to the manufacturing process. All info on this can be found in section 2.5.13.
  • There is now a requirement for feed manufacturers to implement a process to ensure that personnel health does not adversely impact feed production operations (2.5.14).
  • The time period for closure of non-compliances has been reduced from three months to 28 calendar days from the last audit day. This means that the certification body must approve the corrective action plan and evidence of correction within this timeframe.

For a complete overview of the changes, please consult the full document.

Multi-site audit procedures

New Section 2.5.15 provides additional requirements for organizations that have chosen to pursue multi-site certification. The requirements address the internal audit system, internal audit resources, internal auditor qualifications, and technical review of these internal audit reports.

Schedule

The new version was published on November 3, 2020. On April 1, 2021, the revision becomes mandatory. By March 31, 2022, all certified sites must have completed the V 5.1 audit.

Author
Constanze Illner

Constanze Illner (she/her) is Research and Communications Officer in the area of sustainability and food safety. In this position, she keeps an eye on all important developments in this context and informs our clientele in a monthly newsletter. She also moderates the annual Sustainability Heroes conference.

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