ISO 22000 Food Safety Management Certification in China
itmad audits ISO 22000 food safety management systems in China: two-stage audit, three-year certificate, China-based and travelling auditors.
ISO 22000 is the international management system standard for food safety, and itmad audits ISO 22000 food safety management systems for organisations in the food chain in China. itmad audits with both China-based auditors and a travelling team, and has worked in China for more than 10 years. ISO 22000 certification from itmad follows a two-stage audit and produces a certificate that runs for three years with annual surveillance audits.
What ISO 22000 is
ISO 22000 is the management system standard for food safety. ISO 22000 incorporates hazard analysis principles and places hazard analysis inside a full management system covering leadership, planning, competence, communication and improvement. The result is a system that a customer can audit and a certification body can certify, rather than a plan sitting in a folder. No food safety system guarantees safety absolutely, and a certification body claiming otherwise is not a body to buy from.
Who ISO 22000 applies to
ISO 22000 applies to any organisation in the food chain, including:
- Food manufacturers and processors
- Central kitchens, catering and food service
- Hotels, restaurants and hospitality groups
- Bakeries, dairies and beverage producers
- Cold stores, food logistics and distribution
- Retail food operations
- Packaging manufacturers supplying the food chain
- Agricultural producers and packhouses
itmad audits ISO 22000 for organisations in the food chain in China.
What ISO 22000 requires
- Prerequisite programmesCleaning and sanitation, pest control, personal hygiene, water quality, waste, maintenance and supplier control: the foundation without which hazard analysis becomes unmanageable.
- Hazard analysisSystematic identification of biological, chemical, physical and allergen hazards across every process step, with significance assessed on defined criteria.
- Control measures: CCPs and OPRPsHazards controlled either at critical control points with measurable limits, or through operational prerequisite programmes where control is necessary but not measurable at a single point. ISO 22000 makes that distinction explicitly.
- TraceabilityOne step back and one step forward as a minimum, tested rather than assumed. If a recall is needed, traceability decides whether an organisation withdraws one batch or everything.
- Emergency preparedness and recallDocumented procedures for withdrawal and recall, exercised to prove the procedures work before an incident occurs.
- CommunicationAlong the supply chain in both directions, with supplier specifications in and customer requirements and product information out, and internally where changes affect food safety.
- CompetenceFood safety team competence, and training for everyone whose work affects safety, evidenced rather than assumed.
- Validation and verificationValidation confirms that a control measure is capable of achieving what the control measure must achieve. Verification confirms that the control measure actually did. Both are required, and the two are frequently confused.
- Internal audit and management reviewEvidence that the organisation checks itself and that management acts on findings.
ISO 22000 and FSSC 22000
FSSC 22000 is a GFSI-recognised scheme built on ISO 22000 plus sector-specific prerequisite requirements and additional scheme requirements. A customer that requires GFSI recognition needs more than ISO 22000 certification alone, and that requirement is better established before certifying than after.
Where ISO 22000 audits find gaps
Validation is the most common gap in ISO 22000 audits. Organisations verify that a control ran but never validate that the control was capable of achieving the required reduction in the first place, such as a cooking step at a temperature and time that nobody has demonstrated is sufficient. Traceability exercises that were never actually run come second. Allergen management treated as labelling rather than as cross-contamination control through the process comes third.
Certification in China
The ISO 22000 certificate states the certified scope of products and processes, and a Chinese buyer or supplier programme checks that scope wording. Each Chinese buyer or supplier programme sets acceptance conditions for ISO 22000 certificates.
How itmad delivers ISO 22000 in China
itmad delivers ISO 22000 audits in China through China-based auditors and a travelling team, for organisations in the food chain. ISO/IEC 17021-1 prevents a certification body from writing the food safety plan, conducting the hazard analysis or designing the controls of the organisation the body certifies, and itmad does not. itmad audits and certifies, with optional pre-assessment that identifies gaps without prescribing how an organisation closes those gaps.
The ISO 22000 certification process
Stage 1 of an itmad ISO 22000 audit reviews the documented system, the hazard analysis and the prerequisite programmes, and confirms the scope of products and processes. Stage 2 of an itmad ISO 22000 audit assesses implementation on site: monitoring and verification records, validation evidence, traceability tested in practice, staff behaviour observed, and premises condition.
ISO 22000 timeline
An ISO 22000 certificate from itmad runs for three years, with annual surveillance audits in each intervening year and recertification before the certificate expires.
What itmad provides
- Stage 1 report identifying readiness gaps before the main audit
- Stage 2 audit report with findings supported by objective evidence
- Nonconformities classified by severity with defined response timescales
- Certificate of registration stating the certified scope and products
- Certification mark for use under the terms of itmad's mark and seal policy
- Annual surveillance audits and reports through the three-year cycle
Frequently asked questions
What is ISO 22000?
ISO 22000 is the management system standard for food safety. ISO 22000 places hazard analysis principles inside a full management system covering leadership, planning, competence, communication and improvement.
How does ISO 22000 certification work with itmad in China?
itmad audits ISO 22000 in two stages. Stage 1 reviews the documented system, the hazard analysis and the prerequisite programmes, and confirms the scope of products and processes. Stage 2 assesses implementation on site, including monitoring and verification records, validation evidence and traceability tested in practice. The ISO 22000 certificate runs for three years with annual surveillance audits.
Does itmad use auditors based in China?
itmad uses both China-based auditors and a travelling team for ISO 22000 audits in China. itmad has worked in China for more than 10 years.
What are the most common ISO 22000 audit findings?
Validation is the most common gap in ISO 22000 audits, where organisations verify that a control ran but never validate that the control was capable of achieving the required reduction. Traceability exercises that were never actually run come second, and allergen management treated as labelling rather than as cross-contamination control comes third.
What is the difference between ISO 22000 and FSSC 22000?
FSSC 22000 is a GFSI-recognised scheme built on ISO 22000 plus sector-specific prerequisite requirements and additional scheme requirements. A customer that requires GFSI recognition needs more than ISO 22000 certification alone.
What is the difference between validation and verification in ISO 22000?
Validation confirms that a control measure is capable of achieving what the control measure must achieve. Verification confirms that the control measure actually did. ISO 22000 requires both, and the two are frequently confused.