FSSC Development Program
Providing a two level approach to support SMEs in producing safe food.
What is FSSC Development Program
The FSSC Development Program is available for food manufacturing, catering, and retail and wholesale categories; it is the tool designed by the FSSC Foundation, aligned with HACCP according to Codex Alimentarius and GFSI Global Market, to provide the necessary flexibility to approach the food safety system development at 2 levels before full certification. The company can start at any level within the program, and they can choose to proceed to any level depending on their needs and the needs of their clients.
Benefits of becoming certified
Food safety is a key requirement in all the steps of the food supply chain, globally based on HACCP according to Codex Alimentarius and ensured throughout the industry by certification schemes established in the framework of the GFSI program. To be certified according one of the GFSI standard is often a pre-requirement to any business relationship along the food supply chain.
The journey towards food safety system certification can be long and complex, sometimes too long – especially for small and medium companies strongly depending on factors such as the country economic framework and the food safety awareness level.
That’s why the GFSI program includes an “entry point”, named GFSI Global Market, supporting the companies willing to improve their food safety system by providing the framework for both capacity building and demonstration to any stakeholder of the commitment to improvement and the actual level of implementation of the company’s food safety system, although not yet fully certified.
The statement of compliance released by DNV at the end of the assessment process according to the FSSC Development program, including correction and corrective actions when needed, will be the evidence of the result achieved and, over the years, of the improvement implemented toward full certification.
How does it work
The FSSC Development Program requirements consist of 2 different levels; a self-assessment tool is available from the FSSC website, and the completion of the self-assessment, including the addressing of any gap, is the first step to select the desired level. There is no mandatory starting point nor mandatory progress to level 2 nor to full certification.
When ready, the company can agree on the assessment level and date with DNV, who will appoint a competent auditor who will in turn provide the company with a detailed audit plan.
Our offering
DNV is an accredited third-party certification body, licensed for the FSSC Development Program and can support the capacity building process through both relevant FSSC approved training programs and added value food safety system assessment.