FSSC 22000 Packaging Certification: Complete Guide for Manufacturers

If you manufacture packaging materials that come into contact with food, your customers will sooner or later ask you one important question: do you have FSSC 22000 certification? FSSC 22000 packaging certification is a recognized way to show that your packaging company has a food safety management system strong enough to meet the requirements of the global food supply chain. 

The standard is recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), which means FSSC 22000 certification is considered an important requirement by many major food companies and retailers across Europe, North America, and Asia. This guide provides you information on FSSC 22000 packaging standards and certification process.

What Is FSSC 22000 Packaging Certification

Certification according to FSSC 22000 shows that a food safety management system of a food packaging material manufacturer is in line with requirements of FSSC’s scheme for materials having direct or indirect contact with food products. This standard integrates ISO 22000 along with specific FSSC requirements into one unified document.

Contrary to any general quality certificates, the FSSC 22000 is based on the food safety hazards, which include such aspects as contamination, migration of substances, cross-contact with allergens, and failure to provide traceability. And here is the reason why FSSC 22000 is directly relevant to producers of cartons, films, trays, closures, laminates and any other packaging materials.

It should be noted that the FSSC 22000 scheme is owned by the Foundation for Food Safety Certification, which is a non-profit organization registered in the Netherlands, and it is benchmarked by GFSI, the same certification body as BRCGS and IFS.

Why Packaging Manufacturers Need FSSC 22000 Certification

This type of certification is not sought by most of the manufacturers due to sheer curiosity; a customer would require it before ordering. This is what it really offers:

• Access to market: There are many food product brands that do not allow any packaging company to come onboard without a GFSI-certified certificate.
• Reduced number of audits: A single certification will cover more than one customer rather than having an audit done by each buyer.
• Decreased contamination and recall: It has been designed to identify the hazard prior to reaching the customer’s manufacturing plant.
• Increased export reputation: This system is becoming mandatory for customers coming from EU, US, and Gulf countries.
• Disciplined operations: Prerequisite programs are always documented and lead to minimal wastage and non-conformances.

FSSC 22000 Packaging Requirements Explained

The FSSC 22000 packaging requirements lie in three levels of system: the management system of ISO 22000; the prerequisite programs for packaging manufacturing (ISO/TS 22002-4); and the requirements established by FSSC. All three must integrate into one system, not operate as standalone checklists.

ISO 22000 – Food Safety Management System

This is the core of the management systems: hazard analysis, food safety policy documentation, assigned responsibilities, internal audits, management review, and continuous improvement. It requires food manufacturers to assess food safety hazards associated with their packaging and to control them using a systematic approach instead of just following an old practice.

ISO/TS 22002-4 – Prerequisite Programs for Packaging Manufacturing

This technical specification is packaging-specific and covers ground that generic food safety standards don’t touch:

• Suitable facility and equipment design for the production of packaging
• Suitable cleaning and sanitation programs for a non-food environment
• Pest control and personal hygiene training
• Control of raw material and finished packaging storage and transport
• Control of contamination, including foreign matter and migration
• Management of print and inks used in food contact area

Most companies usually begin from this point when planning the process of doing it – read a detailed explanation in ISO/TS 22002-4 before rating your facility for each clause.

Additional FSSC 22000 Scheme Requirements

FSSC layers a few scheme-specific expectations on top of ISO 22000 and ISO/TS 22002-4:

• Food defence and food fraud vulnerability assessments
• Management of allergens, where pertinent to the packaging process
• Environmental monitoring, where relevant to the facility
• Labelling and information management
• Formalised food safety culture

FSSC 22000 vs Other Packaging Certifications

Manufacturers often compare FSSC 22000 against BRCGS Packaging Materials or a plain ISO 9001 certificate before deciding which one to pursue first. Here’s how they stack up:

In case the target customer base lies within food and beverage supply chains, then FSSC 22000 would definitely be the way to go. In case one wants to cater to UK and European retailers, it would be useful to find out which retailers prefer BRCGS.

How to Get FSSC 22000 Packaging Certification

Getting FSSC 22000 packaging certification requires following seven stages starting with gap analysis and ending with certification decision. Most companies need from three to nine months to receive it, depending on the maturity level of their existing system.

1. Conduct a gap analysis relative to ISO 22000, ISO/TS 22002-4, and the exhttps://legal4sure.in/blogs/fssc-22000-fotra requirements of FSSC to determine areas of deficiency.
2. Develop or refine the documentation for your food safety management system, which should include hazard analysis and prerequisite programs.
3. Install the physical and procedural controls that you need to implement, including facility enhancements, hygienic zoning, pest management agreements, and traceability systems.
4. Ensure that your employees are properly trained on the new procedures, since your auditors will be assessing compliance with the documented procedures, rather than simply their existence.
5. Perform an internal audit and management review to address any deficiencies before the external auditor does.
6. Pick a certified certification body and schedule a Stage 1 and Stage 2 audit.
7. Address all non-conformities found in the audit, after which point the certification body issues your certificate. Valid for three years, with annual surveillance audits.

Common Mistakes Manufacturers Make During Certification

• Approaching the process from a documentation perspective rather than modifying the way things work on the floor
• Failing to perform food fraud and food defense vulnerability assessments or performing inadequate assessments
• Poorly documented internal audits which do not withstand external audit scrutiny
• Hiring a consultant to do it all without internal ownership of the system
• Neglecting the system after certification by failing to conduct surveillance audits

Best Practices for Maintaining Certification

• Keep hazard analysis and risk assessment up-to-date in case of any change in the process, supplier, or material
• Conduct internal audits regularly at set intervals rather than before the external audit
• Identify a specific team for responsibility of the food safety management system rather than an individual
• Take corrective actions to completion and address recurring non-conformities during management reviews
• Review the prerequisite programs annually against ISO/TS 22002-4 rather than considering them valid

What Auditors Actually Check During an FSSC 22000 Audit

The auditors are not merely there to go through documents; they visit the shop floor, talk to the operators, and check what is written against what is done. It will be useful to know their areas of interest for the manufacturers to prepare accordingly.

• Traceability: Is there a system to track down finished packaging to their corresponding lots of raw materials, and vice versa? 
• Hazard analysis documents: Do they show what is really going on in your plant, or have they been simply copied from some template without changes?
• Equipment calibration and maintenance documentation for devices that affect product safety, such as metal detectors or packaging sealing equipment
• Operator training documentation regarding hygiene zoning, allergens, and other contamination control measures
• Approvals and monitoring of suppliers of raw materials, ink, and adhesive that are used in food contact packaging
• Corrective action documentation regarding non-conformances in the past, including whether the causes of those non-conformances were addressed

A facility that treats such information as a living document, which is modified as process changes and not only prior to audit will be going through the process of certification and surveillance much faster than a facility that will try to re-create its history at the very last minute.

Who Needs FSSC 22000 Packaging Certification

Not all packaging companies require this certification, but an increasing number of suppliers feel compelled to do so once they begin delivering packaged food and beverages. This generally includes:

• Primary packaging manufacturers who come into contact with the food, such as trays, films, pouches, and closures
• Secondary packaging producers whose products are at risk of contamination, like printed cartons and labels
• Packaging material converters and laminators, supplying raw materials for food packages
• Suppliers of ink, adhesives, and coatings which eventually go into food packaging applications

However, if the consumer market comprises multinational food companies, retail private label initiatives, and export destinations in the EU and Gulf regions, then certification will not remain voluntary for very long.

Choosing the Right Certification Partner

Choosing an accredited certification body is essential; however, equally crucial is the preparatory process that occurs prior to the audit. It is common for many manufacturing companies to overlook the amount of preparation required and find themselves rushing near audit deadlines.

However, by partnering with a competent FSSC 22000 Consultant in India, the preparation process will be significantly faster. A competent consultant will conduct the gap analysis and create the documentations, among others. Legal4sure assists packaging manufacturers in conducting the same processes through to receiving the certificate and preparing for the surveillance audits.

Key Takeaways

• The FSSC 22000 packaging certification integrates the requirements of ISO 22000, ISO/TS 22002-4, and other scheme requirements into one GFSI-certified packaging certification.
• It is primarily due to the need of the buyers; very few food companies will consider any packaging company that does not have a GFSI-recognized certification.
• The basic requirements of the FSSC 22000 packaging include hazard analysis, prerequisite programs, food defense, food fraud, and allergens control.
• The time taken for the process of certification is three to nine months after gap assessment, implementation, internal audit, and two phase external audits.
• The certification is valid for three years but surveillance audits have to be conducted throughout the period.

Conclusion

FSSC 22000 packaging certification is not merely a piece of paper that you stick to the wall; it serves as an evidence of your packaging facility’s competence within a food chain where contamination may cause serious problems. While requirements are quite specific, they will not seem unreasonable when divided into three levels – ISO 22000, ISO/TS 22002-4 and extra demands from FSSC.

Manufacturers that consider the whole process as a means of improving their operation usually pass their audits rather quickly and avoid any trouble in recertification.