Verifying Food OEM Factory Certifications: HACCP, ISO 22000, FSSC 22000 and BRCGS
When choosing a contract manufacturer, certification is the most commonly used screening criterion and the easiest to misuse. Brand owners typically list food safety certification as a requirement, receive a few scanned certificates, check the expiry dates and consider the quality system box ticked. In reality a certificate shows only that a factory passed an audit at some point in time; it does not show that the system is still running to the standard afterwards. In food OEM practice, the factories that cause the most trouble are rarely the ones with no certificates but the ones with complete paperwork and a system that has stopped functioning: records back-filled after the event, critical control point parameters that never move, corrective actions that never leave the page. Verification therefore turns on how the certificate can be checked and what can be seen on site, not on whether one exists. This article sets out how the common schemes relate, how to verify a certificate properly, and what to look for during a site visit.
1. How the certification schemes relate
These certifications are often treated as parallel standards when in fact they build on one another. HACCP, hazard analysis and critical control points, is the methodological core of food safety management, focused on identifying biological, chemical and physical hazards and setting monitoring, corrective action and verification rules for critical control points. ISO 22000 is a certifiable management system standard built on HACCP, integrating prerequisite programmes, the HACCP plan and system management elements into a complete framework, so it covers more ground and emphasises management responsibility, communication and continual improvement. FSSC 22000 is a certification scheme that layers sector-specific prerequisite programme requirements onto ISO 22000, and is treated as an entry condition by some international retailers and brand owners. BRCGS is a retailer-led food safety standard with finer rules and stricter auditing, common in supply chains serving European and North American markets. Understanding the hierarchy explains why a factory saying it does HACCP is not the same as holding a certification an international retailer will accept.
2. Which certification matches which market
Certification is not a case of higher being better; it should match the target channel. Ordinary food sold domestically online generally needs a food production licence and internal operation to HACCP principles. Projects serving domestic chains or subject to brand-owner second-party audits more often see ISO 22000 on the supplier approval list. Exporting to Europe or North America, or manufacturing for an international brand, usually puts FSSC 22000 or BRCGS directly into the contract, because the buyer needs a common language its own audit system recognises. Where a product is made for a specific international retailer's own brand, that retailer may specify the version of the standard and even the certification body. Version and scope also matter: requirements differ noticeably between versions, and scope and product categories are stated on the certificate, so a certificate whose scope does not include the category you intend to produce carries limited value for this partnership. Confirming what the channel actually requires before issuing the demand avoids passing unnecessary cost down the chain.
3. How to verify a certificate
Verification means following a checkable path rather than looking at a scan. First, confirm the key details: whether the certificate holder's name matches the business licence, whether the scope covers the intended product category, whether the standard and version cited are correct, and the validity period and original issue date. Second, check the certification body, which should hold the relevant accreditation, with accreditation marks and registration numbers on the certificate that can be confirmed through the accreditation body's public channels. Third, search the certification body's own online verification system by certificate number or company name, confirm the details match the scan provided, and check that the status is valid rather than suspended or withdrawn.
4. What to examine on site
Six areas repay attention. First, record consistency: pull several batch records at random and check whether charge quantities, process parameters and test results corroborate each other, and whether handwriting or timestamps look anomalous. Second, the live state of critical control points, for example whether a metal detector is tested with a test piece at start-up, whether records are continuous, and whether the reject mechanism has an actual record of rejected product. Third, corrective actions: sample a few non-conformance records and see whether they contain root cause analysis and follow-up effectiveness checks, or merely a note that it has been rectified. Fourth, correspondence between documents and reality, such as whether stated cleaning frequency matches cleaning logs and whether cleaning equipment is labelled accordingly. Fifth, operator awareness: ask a line operator directly for a critical limit and the action taken on exceedance, which reveals whether training landed. Sixth, warehouse and retention management, checking whether raw materials carry clear identification and status, and whether finished goods retention samples are held per batch with complete records.
5. Signs of a certificate without a working system
Some observations quickly suggest a system that has stopped functioning. Documents are comprehensive and beautifully bound, yet the original paperwork behind them cannot be found on site, only transcribed summary sheets. Critical control point monitoring data shows no variation at all, identical every day, when raw material lots and seasonal conditions would normally move some parameters. Calibration records are complete while the calibration labels on the equipment are out of date, or the calibration method plainly does not match the measuring range. Supplier management consists of collecting qualification documents with no receiving inspection records or exception handling. Internal audits and management reviews land exactly on the minimum frequency the standard requires, with vague reports that repeat year after year, indicating they exist to hold the certificate rather than to improve anything. Complaint and recall exercise records contain no substantive issues and no improvement actions, which is close to impossible in a normally operating food factory. Finding these does not automatically end a partnership, but it does mean the contract needs stronger process audit rights and release controls.
6. Building verification into factory selection
Certificate verification belongs in the selection process as a defined step rather than a verbal assurance. A workable sequence runs as follows. During initial screening, check that certificates are publicly verifiable and that their scope covers the target category. Move to a site audit where the brand's quality team or a third party examines system operation against the observations above. Then write process audit rights, batch release documentation requirements and change notification obligations into the contract, so that replacing critical equipment, relocating or outsourcing a process step must be communicated in advance.
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About Guangzhou Mesen Health Biotechnology Co., Ltd
Guangzhou Mesen Health Biotechnology Co., Ltd is located in the Huashan Science and Technology Park, Huadu District, Guangzhou. The company has focused on OEM and ODM services for the big health industry for nearly 20 years, operating dedicated research, production, sales and management centres, and maintaining long-term strategic partnerships with well-known Chinese medicine colleges and research institutions. Capabilities span pressed candy, gummies, capsules, solid beverages, herbal teas, plant beverages, protein powders, dietary supplements and enzyme jelly - from formulation development through contract manufacturing. For details on minimum order quantities, sampling lead times and quotations, see our manufacturing advantages and product range, or contact us for a tailored proposal.
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