When was Version 7 published, and why?
The Foundation FSSC published Version 7 of FSSC 22000 in May 2026.
The scheme itself gives the reasons for the revision:
- incorporating the new ISO 22002-x series on prerequisite programmes;
- aligning with the GFSI Benchmarking Requirements 2024;
- strengthening requirements linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals;
- giving a clearer structure to the food chain (sub)categories;
- editorial corrections, as part of continual improvement.
Version 7 is still built on ISO 22000:2018, with the sector PRPs and the FSSC additional requirements added on top.
Which dates matter between now and 2028?
There are five dates to put in the planning of every certified site. They appear in the official Version 7 Upgrade Process document and in the Foundation’s FAQ.
Date | Event | Who is affected |
|---|---|---|
May 2026 | Version 7 and the upgrade process document published | Everyone |
Within 3 months of publication | Certification bodies inform their certified clients | Certified sites |
30 April 2027 | Last day for an audit against v6 | Certified sites and sites working towards certification |
1 May 2027 to 30 April 2028 | Version 7 upgrade audit window | Certified sites |
30 June 2028 | Deadline for registering v7 certificates; remaining v6 certificates automatically withdrawn | Certified sites |
On the certification body side, accreditation must be extended to v7 before 1 May 2027. Their auditors must pass training and an exam on v7 and on ISO 22002-100:2025.
What changes in Version 7, according to the Foundation FSSC?
For a plant, the most tangible change is the move to new PRP standards. The Foundation summarises the changes in its Key Changes Explained article and in its FAQ.
Topic | What changes | Impact for a Moroccan site |
|---|---|---|
Prerequisite programmes | The ISO/TS 22002-x and BSI PAS documents are replaced by the ISO 22002-x:2025 series; ISO 22002-100:2025 groups the common requirements | Buy the new standards and redo the PRP gap analysis |
Packaging | New requirement 2.5.13 g: packaging design principles aimed at reducing food loss, for sites that design primary packaging | Mainly concerns packaging manufacturers and brands that design their own packaging |
Audit duration | The small-site exemption no longer requires a “simple process”; it covers up to 2 HACCP studies (previously 1) for fewer than 20 FTE | Some SMEs may qualify for a minimum duration of 1.5 days |
Auditors | Qualification aligned with GFSI 2024 and finer subcategories | Auditors more specialised in your sector |
Artificial intelligence | Certification bodies that use AI must have a governance framework; AI supports human judgement, it does not replace it | No direct requirement for the audited site |
Additional requirements | Some updated or strengthened; those now covered by ISO 22002-x removed | Review section 2.5 heading by heading |
The Foundation publishes the detail of the changes in its Changes Version 6 and Version 7 – Scheme document, where every new or modified passage is shown in red. It is the starting point for a heading-by-heading gap analysis. Our FSSC 22000 Version 7 consulting page sets out the v6 and v7 rules side by side.
What does the timetable mean for a site that is already certified?
Your upgrade will take place at your next scheduled audit between 1 May 2027 and 30 April 2028. There is no separate audit: your surveillance or recertification audit becomes a full audit against v7.
Three practical consequences follow:
- The audit may be unannounced. If your upgrade audit falls on the unannounced surveillance of your three-year cycle, you will not know the date. The system must be on v7 before the window opens, not the day before the audit.
- The contract changes. The certification body must recalculate audit duration under v7 rules and issue a new contract or an addendum.
- No split-version audits. In a combined remote audit (ICT approach), both the remote part and the on-site part must be carried out against v7 from 1 May 2027.
If your surveillance falls in June 2027, for example, your real preparation window closes in spring 2027. Count backwards. Our v6 to v7 upgrade plan, step by step sets out the order of the work.
And for a site that is not yet certified?
It should go straight for Version 7. An initial audit whose Stage 2 takes place from 1 May 2027 is carried out entirely against v7. Only a Stage 1 held before that date may still follow v6.
For a Moroccan exporter starting in late 2026, the initial audit will very probably fall in the v7 period. Building on v6 would mean writing the documentation twice. The full path is described in our FSSC 22000 Version 7 consultant guide for Morocco.
What should buyers and importers keep an eye on?
If you source from FSSC 22000 certified suppliers in Morocco or elsewhere in Africa, their certificates will move to v7 during the upgrade window. After an upgrade at surveillance, the certificate refers to Version 7 and keeps the expiry date of the v6 certificate. After 30 June 2028, any v6 certificate still active disappears from the public register of certified organisations. Ask each supplier for the date of its upgrade audit, and check the register rather than a PDF copy.
What should you do before 30 April 2027?
Act in order: know your audit date, buy the standards, measure the gaps, train, audit internally. Here is the minimum list.