Steps for Certification Process: Review Needed

Hello everybody,

My company want to start a new project of certification and they asked me to prepare a schedule of tasks to explain what we have to do from A to Z.

I suggest those steps:

- First reading of the standard

- Gap analysis

- Action plan

- Mock audit

- new action plan

- Certification audit

It's ok ? or i have to add other steps which are important?

Thank you for your advices

hi ;) 

I would add time for procedures, documents implementation and staff training. 

Between new action plan and certification audit I would add some time for corrective actions 

;) 

That looks like a good plan to me.  

I agree it sounds like a good plan for getting started on any audit standard. Depending your experience in doing self-assessments/internal audits I would also recommend doing a professional "pre-assessment" audit by the certifier. This is usually a remote audit where the auditor covers as much ground as they can without coming on site. If it's your first time interacting with any GFSI standard it can shed some light on things you've missed. It's not something you'd need to do every year, just your first time to get your bearing straight. It typically isn't very expensive either considering it's all remote.

Hi fouziak,

Your gap analysis and action plan will be the main parts of this and depend on the extent of your current food safety management system and the experience/knowledge of ISO 22000 and relevant prerequisites/good manufacturing practices.

If you don’t have many systems in place then Senior Management are going to need to contribute at the very start of your project to ensure compliance with ISO 22000 Section 4 Context of the organization, Section 5 Leadership and Section 6 Planning.

This will require Senior Management to:

Determine external and internal issues that are relevant and affect its ability to achieve the intended result(s) of its FSMS

Determine the interested parties (Customer, Regulatory, Statutory and other) that are relevant to the FSMS

Determine Customer, Regulatory, Statutory and other relevant Food Safety & Quality requirements

Define the scope and boundaries of the FSMS

Plan the development of a Food Safety & Quality Culture

Develop a Food Safety & Quality Policy

Based on the Food Safety & Quality Policy establish Food Safety & Quality Objectives

Plan the establishment of the FSMS using the project planner

Provide adequate resources and support to establish the FSMS

Ensure there is adequate infrastructure and work environment

Allocate responsibility and authority

Assess, plan and establish appropriate internal and external communication (including the food chain) channels

After your mock audit there should be minor corrective actions to follow up rather than a whole new action plan.

Kind regards,

Tony