11 Mar 2011

Certification Body can now offer accredited third-party audit and certification services to the GFSI approved food safety management standard  

Intertek, a leading international provider of auditing and certification services, is now accredited by the Swedish Board for Accreditation and Conformity Assessment (SWEDAC) to provide third-party auditing and certification to the FSSC 22000 standard for food manufacturing organizations.

FSSC 22000, a GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative) approved food safety certification scheme, describes in great detail how to implement food safety measures as prerequisite programs. The core of FSSC 22000 is defined in the PAS 220:2008 guideline, in addition to the existing management systems approach of ISO 22000:2005.

The FSSC 22000 standard was published in 2009, approved by GFSI in early 2010, and approved for accreditation in late 2010. FSSC 22000 has already had great success in gaining market share by being a preferred supplier standard for major food producers such as Nestlé, Kraft, and McDonald's.

Although the standard was published about two years ago, certification bodies have only recently been able to seek accreditation, due to delays in the accreditation approval process by the IAF (International Accreditation Forum). Intertek's accreditation is effective 3 March 2011.

"Food safety management requirements in the food industry are continually evolving. Intertek is prepared to help food manufacturers understand FSSC 22000 and continue to be their trusted partner for auditing and certification services," said Karin Rosberg, Intertek’s global program manager for food safety management systems.

The FSSC 22000 certification scheme is published and available for free download at www.fssc22000.com. Organizations already certified to ISO 22000 simply need to complete an additional audit to PAS 220/ISO TS 22002-1 and meet the standard owner's requirements in order to meet the full requirements of FSSC 22000.

Contacts
For further information, please contact:

Karin Rosberg
Global Program Manager, Food Safety Management Systems
Telephone: +46 8 750 03 33
E-Mail: karin.rosberg@intertek.com  

Stacey Corbin
Global Marketing Manager, Systems Certification
Telephone: +1 978 929 2116
E-Mail: stacey.corbin@intertek.com  

Christian Kleinert
Marketing Director, Food and Agri Services
Telephone: +49 711 27311-449
E-Mail: christian.kleinert@intertek.com  

About Intertek
Intertek is a leading provider of quality and safety solutions serving a wide range of industries around the world. From auditing and inspection, to testing, quality assurance and certification, Intertek people are dedicated to adding value to customers' products and processes, supporting their success in the global marketplace. Intertek has the expertise, resources and global reach to support its customers through its network of more than 1,000 laboratories and offices and over 27,000 people in more than 100 countries around the world. For further information, visit www.intertek.com.