Is ISO 22000 the same as HACCP?

No. HACCP is a hazard-control methodology; ISO 22000 is a management-system standard that includes HACCP as one of several components.

Do I need FSSC 22000?

If your buyer requires GFSI recognition, yes. FSSC 22000 is ISO 22000 + technical prerequisite programmes + additional requirements.

6–12 months for first certification; 3-year certification cycle with annual surveillance.

Is ISO 27001 relevant to aquaculture?

Increasingly, for SCADA-heavy operations. Regulators are extending critical-infrastructure requirements into food and water process control.

Which ISO do I start with?

22000 first for food safety, then 14001 for environmental, 45001 for occupational safety, 9001 for quality. 27001 as SCADA maturity grows.

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Pillar · ISO Standards

ISO 22000 for Aquaculture

ISO 22000 is the food-safety management-system standard that wraps HACCP inside a full-system framework. For large or retail-facing aquaculture producers, ISO 22000 (usually via FSSC 22000 for GFSI recognition) is functionally required by top retailers.

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FishMatch Group is supplier-neutral. This page is educational content for aquaculture buyers — not legal, tax or investment advice. Always verify current regulations with local authorities and licensed advisors before committing capital.

Applicable standards

• ISO 22000
• ISO 14001
• ISO 45001
• ISO 9001
• ISO 27001

Who must comply

• Large aquaculture producers
• Retail-facing exporters
• Integrated processors

Why it matters

ISO 22000 wraps HACCP in a full management-system standard. Large retailers (Aldi, Lidl, Carrefour, some UK big-four) increasingly require ISO 22000 or an equivalent GFSI-recognised scheme (FSSC 22000, BRCGS, SQF).

How ISO 22000 differs from HACCP

HACCP addresses hazard control at the process level. ISO 22000 wraps HACCP inside a management-system standard, with leadership, planning, operation, performance evaluation and improvement clauses. Certification is only meaningful when the whole system is implemented — not just the documentation.

GFSI recognition

Global Food Safety Initiative recognises schemes such as FSSC 22000 (ISO 22000 + technical PRPs), BRCGS Food, SQF and IFS. Most large retailers require a GFSI-recognised scheme; ISO 22000 alone often is not enough.

Companion ISO standards

ISO 14001 (environmental), ISO 45001 (OH&S), ISO 9001 (quality), ISO 27001 (information security — increasingly relevant for SCADA-heavy RAS). Large producers eventually stack most of these.

Common mistakes

Confusing ISO 22000 with HACCP — 22000 is management-system + prerequisite programmes + HACCP + continuous improvement.
Certifying against ISO 22000 without concurrent GFSI recognition (retailers often demand GFSI).
Under-scoping environmental (ISO 14001) and occupational safety (ISO 45001).

Buyer compliance checklist

ISO 22000 or GFSI-recognised scheme scoped and gap-analysed.
Prerequisite programmes documented (sanitation, pest control, water safety).
HACCP plan embedded in the management system.
Management review cycle established.
Environmental (ISO 14001) and occupational safety (ISO 45001) planned in sequence for large operations.

Aquaculture project compliance checklist (PDF)