General
-
Can a business in the Food Industry obtain FSSC 24000 certification without being FSSC 22000 Scheme certified?
Yes, the scope for FSSC 24000 is intended for auditing and certifying organizations in the manufacturing and processing sector (food and non-food), including their related service provision. The scope applies to the economic sector/activity with the related IAF codes in Part 1, Clause 3, Table 1. Both Schemes are independent of each other, and certification can be obtained for one or both Schemes, as required by the organization.
-
What is the difference between the FSSC 24000 Scheme & ISO 26000?
ISO 26000 is a guidance on social responsibility, meaning that it is not an auditable certification standard on its own but aims to provide information to users on the topic. In comparison, FSSC 24000 is a voluntary third-party certification Scheme that is governed under accreditation and the Foundation.
The objective of FSSC 24000 is to improve labor relationships, health & safety at work, and work & business ethics with a management system approach that drives continuous improvement on critical social issues.
-
If an organization is FSSC 24000 certified, would it replace SMETA or Sedex audits/requirements?
Partially. It should be noted that the two systems are not compatible. While SMETA and FSSC 24000 both regulate all aspects of human rights due diligence, SMETA has an extension to environmental factors in 4-pillar audits, which is currently not included in FSSC 24000.
FSSC 24000 is, in direct comparison to SMETA, a robust social management system that requires a continuous improvement of social management performance based on an ISO management-based approach. This is optional in SMETA.
-
How is FSSC 24000 different from SEDEX?
See above. Furthermore, FSSC 24000 is an accredited third-party certification Scheme, while SMETA is unaccredited and inspection-based.
-
What are the Auditor qualification criteria for FSSC 24000?
The auditor qualification process and its maintenance are laid out in detail in Part 4, Section 3.5. In principle, the auditor must be registered in the Assurance Platform through an FSSC 24000 licensed certification body. An appropriate ASPCA qualification level is required, and the additional FSSC 24000 requirements set out in the Scheme requirements shall also be met.
-
When are FSSC 24000 certification audits allowed to start? Will this also have the same time frame gap between Stage 1 and Stage 2 audits as FSSC 22000 standards certification?
For upgrade audits using the ICT Audit Approach method, both the remote and onsite components shall be completed against V6 from 1 April 2024 onwards. It is not possible to conduct part of the audit to a different Scheme version.
-
Where can I find the FSSC 24000 logo, and what are the rules for applying it?
Certified organizations shall use the FSSC 24000 logo only for marketing activities such as the organization’s printed matter, website, and other promotional material. In case of using the logo, the certified organization shall request a copy of the latest FSSC logo from their Certification Body.
Part 2: Requirements for organizations to be audited, Section 2.3.2 ‘Logo Use’ in the FSSC 24000 Version 1 Scheme document offers all requirements around this topic.