scope:

This Technical Specification defines the rules applicable for the audit and certification of a food safety management system (FSMS) complying with the requirements given in ISO 22000 (or other sets of specified FSMS requirements), and provides the necessary information and confidence to customers about the way certification of their suppliers has been granted. Certification of FSMSs (named "certification" in this Technical Specification) is a third-party conformity assessment activity (see ISO/IEC 17000:2004, 5.5). Bodies performing this activity are therefore third-party conformity assessment bodies (named "certification body/bodies" in this Technical Specification). It is also intended to be used as a criteria document by regulatory authorities and industry consortia which engage in direct recognition of certification bodies to certify that an FSMS complies with ISO 22000. Some of its requirements could also be found useful by any other parties involved in the conformity assessment of such certification bodies, and in the conformity assessment of any bodies that undertake to certify the compliance of FSMSs with criteria additional to or other than those in ISO 22000. FSMS certification does not attest to the safety or fitness of the products of an organization within the food chain. However, ISO 22000 requires an organization to meet all applicable food-safety-related statutory and regulatory requirements through its management system. It is important to note that certification of an FSMS according to ISO 22000 is a management system certification and not a product certification. Other FSMS users can use the concepts and requirements of this Technical Specification provided that the requirements are adapted as necessary.