Kim Ring is the Communications Director at Kiwa ASI, where she leverages her B.A. in Communication from The University of Missouri, a lifelong Celiac Disease diagnosis, and 10 years in Public Relations to drive home the importance of food safety across every public-facing channel on behalf of Kiwa ASI.
Ashlyn Anderson earned her B.S. in Nutritional Sciences from The University of Texas at Austin and holds a Master’s in Teaching & Learning from Colorado State University. As Marketing Coordinator for Kiwa ASI, Ashlyn manages content and social media campaigns that break down the nuances of certification, making the complex process more approachable.
Here's What Food Safety Professionals Need to Know
If you've built your career around ISO 22000, HACCP plans, and Prerequisite Programs, you already know that GFSI-benchmarked schemes don't sit still for long. In fact, they can't. If Certification Program Owners (like SQF, BRCGS, FSSC, etc.) want to maintain GFSI recognition, they must update their requirements based on the latest GFSI benchmark. The latest update was in 2024, which led to the release of SQF Edition 10, CanadaGAP Version 11, and now FSSC 22000 Version 7.
The Foundation FSSC officially released FSSC 22000 Version 7.0 on May 1st, 2026, building on Version 6 with the scheme's next round of updates for certified sites around the world.
Version 7 can quickly be summarized in five core priorities:
- Incorporating the new ISO 22002-x series of Prerequisite Program (PRP) standards
- Providing a more defined structure for food chain (sub)categories
- Strengthening requirements that support organizations' contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Aligning with GFSI benchmarking requirements (2024)
- Editorial changes and amendments as part of continuous improvement
If you're a quality manager prepping your team, a plant leader trying to understand what's about to land on your desk (or hold a role somewhere in between), here's a breakdown of the changes:
A Unified PRP Standard: ISO 22002-x:2025
A large structural shift in Version 7 is the move away from the previous Prerequisite Programs [i.e. BSI PAS (Publicly Available Standard) and ISO/TS 22002-x (Technical Specifications)] to the new ISO 22002-x:2025 series. This shift follows ISO's own restructuring and modernization of PRP requirements, and a lasting love of lengthy acronyms...
At the center of the new series is ISO 22002-100:2025, a unified baseline PRP standard published in July 2025 that consolidates common requirements across the food chain- reducing the duplication and variability that existed across the old ISO/TS documents. Part 100 is now supported by sector-specific parts tied to an organization's scope. For example, ISO 22002-1 is for food manufacturing, and must be applied in addition to Part 100. This will be different for each sector.
If your PRP documentation currently references older specifications, this is the first place to start your gap analysis as it is not only a change of reference but may include new specific sector requirements .
A More Defined Food Chain Category Structure
In support of the new PRP structure, the scope chapter has been reorganized with more clearly defined food chain (sub)categories, helping ensure the right sector-specific PRP standard is applied consistently. Certified organizations should double-check that their scope statement still aligns cleanly with this more detailed breakdown.
Sustainability Gets a Packaging-Specific Boost
Version 7 strengthens the scheme's support for the UN Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) by incorporating the Save Food Packaging design principles, developed by the Australasian Institute of Packaging (AIP) and globalized by the World Packaging Organization (WPO). These principles apply to all FSSC 22000-certified organizations involved in packaging material design to strengthen roles in reducing food waste.
Updated Auditor Qualification Requirements
Auditor qualification requirements now align with the new GFSI Benchmarking Requirements and harmonize competency criteria with the new food chain (sub)category division. The update prioritizes auditor competencies covering products, processes, practices, laws, and regulations for the categories they specifically audit. This is good context for certified organizations to keep in mind when evaluating their certification body.
Beyond the headline changes above, organizations reviewing the full V7 Scheme Changes Document will also find sharpened expectations in a few existing areas, including more explicit requirements around food safety and quality culture, quality control procedures, and allergen verification testing. These build upon existing requirements from Version 6.
Updates to the Standard Due to Continual Improvement
Here you will need to do a deep evaluation of the new requirements and how it effects your current programs. Some of the new requirements includes:
- In the case of raw materials and finish, microbiological, physical, chemical and allergenic specifications used for food safety purposes shall be based on appropriate scientific principles, when relevant legislation is absent;
- Food defense and Food fraud development shall be done by persons with appropriate knowledge and competency;
- Food loss and waste objectives shall be supported by clear and measurable targets with defined timelines.
- New parameters to calculate audit time duration for certification audits and the amount of time assigned for audit reporting. Check with your certification body if those will affect your 2027 audit time duration.
- Clarification that in the case of unannounced audits if the site is not in operation, then the audit cannot proceed and the unannounced audit shall be rescheduled, taking into consideration when the next unannounced audit is due.
- Relevance on the sites to conduct root cause analysis over the received non conformities during certification audits.
What is the Transition Deadline?
The good news? You have some time, and the process mirrors the previous V6 upgrade you've already conquered.
- Version 6 audits are permitted until April 30, 2027.
- Version 7 upgrade audits will be conducted from May 1, 2027 through April 30, 2028.
That gives certified organizations roughly a 12-month runway once the upgrade window opens-plenty of time to plan, but not a reason to wait until the last minute.
Let's Make Your Transition EASY
Navigating a scheme version change shouldn't add stress to an already demanding job. Kiwa ASI's team is here to help you understand what Version 7 means for your operation, so by the time audit day rolls around, you feel calm, organized, and stress free.
Learn more about FSSC 22000 Certification with Kiwa ASI →
Sources: FSSC 22000 Version 7: Key Changes Explained, Foundation FSSC, May 2026; FSSC 22000 Scheme Version 7.0 — Main Changes, Foundation FSSC, May 2026; FSSC 22000 Scheme Version 7.0 (Full Document), Foundation FSSC, May 2026.