Notice on Matters Related to the Conversion of Food Safety Management System (FSMS) Accreditation Standards

Dear Food Safety Management System Certification Customers:
 

1. Basis for Transition
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) released ISO 22003-1:2022 "Food Safety — Part 1: Requirements for Food Safety Management System Audit and Certification Bodies" in June 2022, replacing ISO/TS 22003:2013.
On August 30, 2023, the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) issued the mandatory document IAF MD 27:2023 "ISO 22003-1:2022 Transition Requirements." The implementation transition period for ISO 22003-1:2022 is three years from the date of publication of the standard. (The deadline for accreditation bodies to complete the full accreditation transition of certification bodies is two and a half years after the standard's release, i.e., the accreditation transition work must be completed by December 31, 2024).
 

2. Transition Schedule
1) The transition period is from the date of notification issuance until June 30, 2025. For customers certified under the old accreditation criteria, the accreditation marks on their certificates remain valid during the certificate validity period. For certified enterprises that have not completed this transition by June 30, 2025, their certification qualifications will be suspended.
2) After November 13, 2024, our company will no longer accept food safety management system certification applications based on the old accreditation criteria.
3) Certified customers audited under the old accreditation criteria during the transition period will complete the transition combined with their most recent surveillance/re-certification audit.
 

3. Transition Methods
Certified customers need to submit a version change application form (see Appendix 1). The transition methods include the following three types:
1) Special application transition:
2) Or complete the transition combined with surveillance audit,
3) Or complete the transition combined with re-certification audit.
 

4. Reissuance of Certification Certificates
1) Certificates reissued combined with surveillance/special audits will have the same validity period as the original certificate:

2) Certificates reissued combined with re-certification audits will have a validity period extended by three years from the original certificate's validity period; 3) According to the requirements of the China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS), before the company obtains accreditation transition, the reissued or newly issued certificates under the new accreditation criteria shall not bear the CNAS accreditation mark and the IAF international mutual recognition mark.
 

5. Key Points for Certified Customers Regarding Version Transition
According to CNAS-CC180:2023 "Requirements for Food Safety Management System Certification Bodies" clauses 8.3/8.4: Certified customers "shall not use the FSMS certification mark on products or product packaging, nor are they allowed to use any claims of having obtained the food safety management system certification on product packaging. Product packaging includes all packaging of the product, including primary packaging (containing the product) as well as any outer or secondary packaging."
 

Hereby notified.
 

If you have any service needs during the transition process, please contact the relevant department of our company in a timely manner.
Headquarters/Branch Business Department: 010-84850768 010-84850008 ext. Certification Marketing Department

Beijing United Intelligence Certification Co., Ltd.

November 13, 2024