FSSC 22000 Version 6 Upgrade Audits Have Started: A Practical Checklist
Since 1 April 2024, FSSC 22000 audits are carried out against Version 6. Every certified organisation must complete its upgrade audit by 31 March 2025.
Key points
- Upgrade audits against Version 6 run from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.
- The new additional requirements need records, not only procedures.
- Management decisions on culture and food loss and waste take the longest to put in place.
Before the audit
- A food safety and quality culture plan with objectives, targets and timelines
- Quality control: defined parameters, release procedure and checks on quantity
- A food loss and waste policy and objectives
- Equipment purchase specifications that cover hygienic design, and a change management process
- An updated allergen management plan and environmental monitoring programme
- Internal audit and management review against Version 6
During the audit
Expect questions to operators and supervisors about food safety culture, not only to the food safety team leader. Auditors will ask how objectives were set, what has been done, and how progress is measured.
After the audit
Nonconformities must be closed within the scheme’s deadlines for the upgraded certificate to be issued. Analyse the root cause before answering, because corrections without causes are the usual reason a response is rejected.