FSSC 22000 — Food Safety System Certification

Certification Overview (Business Overview)

FSSC 22000 (Food Safety System Certification 22000) is a globally benchmarked food safety management system certification scheme, recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) and approved by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF). It integrates ISO 22000:2018 (the core food safety management system standard), industry-specific Prerequisite Programs (PRPs) , and additional FSSC-specific requirements — providing a comprehensive, science-based, and internationally harmonized framework for managing food safety risks across the entire supply chain.

• NGV cooperates with BM Certification to deliver FSSC 22000 certification to Chinese enterprises.

• Application Scope

• FSSC 22000 covers the full spectrum of the food supply chain, including:

• Food manufacturing: Meat and poultry processing, dairy production, bakery and confectionery, snack foods, ready meals, canned and preserved foods, frozen products, infant formula, dietary supplements, and specialty health foods.

• Food packaging and materials: Manufacturers of food-contact packaging, containers, films, and closures.

• Animal feed: Producers of livestock, aquafeed and pet food.

• Transport and storage: Logistics providers handling food products, cold-chain operators, and warehousing facilities.

• Food retail and food service: Catering companies, restaurant chains, and retail food distribution.

• Agricultural primary production: Farming operations, aquaculture, and horticulture (under applicable sector categories).

Other Matters

According to official data published by Foundation FSSC, FSSC 22000 has experienced remarkable growth in the Chinese market. Since 2020, the number of FSSC 22000 certificates in China has nearly doubled, with an average annual growth rate of 16.4% over four years. This growth has been driven by China's regulatory shift from government oversight toward enterprise responsibility for food safety, alongside the increasing integration of risk-based management frameworks into the national food safety system. As of 2025, FSSC 22000 surpasses 40,000 certified organizations worldwide across more than 150 countries.

Food Manufacturing (85% of China's certified operations)

Food manufacturing constitutes the overwhelming majority of FSSC 22000 certifications in China. A typical example involves a Chinese dairy producer that obtained FSSC 22000 certification across its entire product line, achieving compliance with the food safety management system standard recognized by all major GFSI-aligned retailers. The certification enabled the company to satisfy the supplier qualification audits of multinational food brands — including those among the world's largest food and beverage companies that mandate FSSC 22000 for their entire global supply base — and to expand its export channels into European and North American markets. Leading global brands that require FSSC 22000 certification from their suppliers include Nestlé, Unilever, PepsiCo, The Coca-Cola Company, Walmart, and Carlsberg, among others. Chinese retail and food groups such as COFCO and China Resources Vanguard also recognize FSSC 22000 as a key supplier qualification benchmark.

Food Packaging & Materials (13.8% of China's certified operations)

Food packaging material manufacturers represent the second-largest certified category in China. A representative case involves a packaging materials manufacturer in eastern China that achieved FSSC 22000 certification for its food-contact packaging production lines — covering films, containers, and closures. The certification eliminated the need for multiple customer-specific second-party audits previously required by different food brand customers, replacing them with a single internationally recognized third-party certificate. This streamlined the supplier approval process and enabled the manufacturer to serve as a qualified packaging supplier to multiple global food brands simultaneously, significantly reducing audit costs and accelerating new customer onboarding.

Emerging Categories — Animal Feed, Transport & Storage, and Catering

While food manufacturing and packaging dominate China's FSSC 22000 certificate base, Foundation FSSC notes that other food chain categories — including animal feed production, transport and storage, and catering and food service — currently represent lower percentages but are expected to grow further. A case in point is a Chinese animal feed producer serving both livestock and aquaculture sectors that obtained FSSC 22000 certification to meet the upstream supply chain requirements of international food brands sourcing raw materials from China. Similarly, a cold-chain logistics operator in southern China achieved FSSC 22000 certification for its food transport and storage operations, differentiating itself in the competitive food logistics market and qualifying as a preferred partner for multinational food companies requiring certified cold-chain handling of temperature-sensitive products.