The latest version of ISO 22000 is ISO 22000:2018, the second edition published in June 2018, together with Amendment 1:2024, which added climate change to the context clauses in February 2024. A third edition is in development: its draft (ISO/DIS 22000) finished its ballot on 30 July 2026, but it is not yet published, so audits still use the 2018 edition with its amendment.
This guide is for food safety team leaders and quality managers anywhere in the food chain who run, or plan to certify, a food safety management system (FSMS).
What is the latest version of ISO 22000?
ISO 22000 sets the requirements for a food safety management system for any organisation in the food chain. The second edition replaced ISO 22000:2005, which ISO lists as withdrawn. On its ISO 22000:2018 page, ISO lists one amendment and marks the standard as "to be revised".
Amendment 1:2024, "Climate action changes", is a one-page document published in February 2024. It does not replace the standard. You read ISO 22000:2018 and the amendment together, and certification bodies audit against both.
The revision has moved quickly. ISO approved the project on 9 January 2024. The committee draft closed for comments on 8 August 2025, and ISO/DIS 22000 was registered on 5 March 2026.
Its 12-week ballot opened on 6 May 2026 and closed on 30 July 2026, according to the ISO/DIS 22000 project page. ISO now decides on the ballot result, which can lead to a final draft (FDIS). ISO has not given a publication date.
What does ISO 22000:2018 require?
ISO 22000:2018 uses the same high-level structure as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, so the requirements sit in clauses 4 to 10. It applies the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle at two levels. One cycle runs the management system. The second runs inside clause 8 and covers the operational controls, including the HACCP principles of the Codex Alimentarius.
The standard sorts control measures into three groups, linked through the hazard analysis. Prerequisite programmes (PRPs) keep the basic hygienic conditions. Operational prerequisite programmes (OPRPs) control significant hazards that are not handled at a critical control point. Critical control points (CCPs) control significant hazards to an acceptable level at a specific step.
The table maps each clause to the evidence an auditor usually asks for. The evidence column is AGS's interpretation, not ISO's wording.
| Clause | What it covers | Typical evidence |
|---|---|---|
| 4 Context of the organisation | Internal and external issues, including whether climate change is relevant (Amendment 1), interested parties, FSMS scope | Context and interested parties analysis, scope statement |
| 5 Leadership | Top management commitment, food safety policy, roles, responsibilities and authorities | Signed policy, organisation chart, food safety team appointments |
| 6 Planning | Risks and opportunities at business level, food safety objectives, planning changes | Risk and opportunity register, measurable objectives, change records |
| 7 Support | Resources, competence, awareness, communication along the food chain, documented information | Competence matrix, training records, communication log, document register |
| 8 Operation | PRPs (8.2), traceability, emergency preparedness, hazard analysis (8.5) and the hazard control plan, verification, control of nonconforming product | PRP checklists, hazard analysis worksheets, HACCP and OPRP plan, monitoring logs, mock recall |
| 9 Performance evaluation | Monitoring, analysis of verification results, internal audit, management review | Audit programme and reports, management review minutes |
| 10 Improvement | Nonconformity and corrective action, continual improvement, updating the FSMS | Corrective action reports, FSMS update records |
If your team is new to HACCP, our Codex HACCP guide explains the seven principles that clause 8 builds on.
What did Amendment 1:2024 change, and how do you show it at an audit?
The amendment came from an ISO decision to add climate change to its management system standards. ISO and the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) explained it in a joint communiqué dated 22 February 2024, which lists ISO 22000:2018 among the amended standards.
Two additions were made. Clause 4.1 now requires the organisation to determine whether climate change is a relevant issue. Clause 4.2 gains a note that relevant interested parties can have climate-related requirements.
ISO and IAF say the intent of both clauses is unchanged. The aim is that climate change is not overlooked when you analyse your context.
In practice, the amendment asks for a decision, not a climate programme. An auditor will look for evidence that you considered the question and reached a reasoned answer. Your context analysis is the natural place for it, reviewed at management review like any other issue.
For a food business, the issue often links to food safety hazards. The examples below are AGS's, offered as prompts rather than requirements:
- Heatwaves that strain cold rooms, refrigerated transport and cooling steps, which may affect your CCPs and temperature monitoring.
- Changing weather in sourcing regions that alters raw material hazards, such as mould growth in stored crops.
- Water scarcity or poorer water quality that affects cleaning, ice and ingredient water.
- Customers or retailers that set climate-related supplier requirements, which belong under clause 4.2.
If you conclude that climate change is not relevant, record why. A one-line "not applicable" with no reasoning is hard to defend.
How does ISO 22000 relate to FSSC 22000?
ISO 22000 can be certified on its own, but it is not recognised by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) by itself. FSSC 22000 is the GFSI-recognised scheme that combines ISO 22000 with a prerequisite programme standard and the Foundation FSSC's additional requirements.
FSSC 22000 version 7 was published on 1 May 2026. It still uses ISO 22000:2018, including amendments, but moves the PRPs to ISO 22002-100:2025 plus a sector part. Version 6 audits continue until 30 April 2027.
Our guide to FSSC 22000 versions 6 and 7 covers the dates. A site whose customers ask for a GFSI scheme can also compare BRCGS Food Safety Issue 9.
Who can be certified to ISO 22000, and by whom?
The standard applies to any organisation in the food chain, whatever its size. That includes primary producers, food and feed manufacturers, caterers, retailers, transport and storage operators, and suppliers of packaging, equipment and services. The 2018 edition widened the scope to cover feed and food for animals.
ISO writes the standard but does not certify anyone. Certification bodies audit and certify organisations. Those bodies work to ISO 22003-1:2022, which sets the rules for audit time, food chain categories and auditor competence. National accreditation bodies accredit certification bodies, and ISO advises buyers to check that a certification body is accredited.
Should you wait for the new edition before you certify?
No. Until the new edition is published, every certificate is issued against ISO 22000:2018 with Amendment 1:2024. A draft can still change between the DIS and the final text, so building your system to draft wording risks rework.
Once the new edition is published, the IAF and certification bodies will set the transition period. Your certification body will tell you when audits to the new edition start. In the meantime, a system that meets the 2018 edition, including the climate change determination, is the base any transition will start from.
How AGS can help
The ISO 22000-2018-Food Safety Management System kit contains 71 editable Microsoft Word documents. It includes an FSMS manual with three supporting scheme documents and 18 procedures, covering hazard analysis and the hazard control plan, PRPs, traceability, recall and food defence. It also has 26 forms and records, 12 checklists, 5 training modules, a master index and 5 guidance documents, including a clause-by-clause interpretation guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is ISO 22000:2018 still valid in 2026?
Yes. It is the current edition, read together with Amendment 1:2024. A new edition is at the draft stage and has not been published.
Do I need to buy the amendment separately?
ISO sells the amendment as a separate one-page document. Check whether the copy of ISO 22000:2018 you hold already includes it.
What is the difference between ISO 22000 and HACCP?
HACCP is a method for controlling food safety hazards. ISO 22000 builds the HACCP principles into a full management system with policy, objectives, internal audit, management review and improvement.
Does buying documentation mean the organisation will be certified?
No. Documents are a starting point. Certification depends on how the system runs and on the certification body's audit findings.
AGS provides independent documentation toolkits. This guide and the referenced kit are prepared to support ISO 22000 requirements. They are not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by ISO, the Foundation FSSC or any certification body, and they do not guarantee any certification outcome.
Reviewed October 2026. Facts checked against the sources current at publication.
