The FSSC certification system for food safety management systems integrates the requirements and prerequisites (PPR) of safety management expressed in ISO 22000 and in the ISO 22002 series of standards, which are aimed at the sanitary control of the processes in the food industry, plus the additional requirements of the FSSC program (food fraud, food defense, among others), the sum of these components makes the certification scheme is considered complete, highly efficient and recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI).

The international recognition allows to standardize the accreditation requirements for the food safety certification scheme so that a certificate issued in Ecuador has the same reliability as another issued in the United States, in Spain or in any country recognized by international agreements.

The benefit of the application of a certification scheme for consumers is that with the implementation of safety risk mitigation measures, there is a significant decrease in the likelihood that when using or consuming the product may cause an impact on health of the consumer.

El Servicio de Acreditación Ecuatoriano (SAE) maintains the recognition of FSSC to grant the Accreditation of this scheme to Certification Bodies of Food Safety Management Systems, with which the certificates of conformity and evaluations made by Accredited Bodies have validity and international recognition.

The scheme has been implemented in our country for 4 years and 4 months and has been developed in the following fields:

• Food processing,

• Processing of animal feed

• Catering

• Food marketing

• Transportation and storage of food

• Production of packaging and food packaging materials

• Production of biochemicals (for example food additives)

The FSSC scheme is maintained in the country through the maintenance plans for the Conformity Assessment Agencies, the continuous evaluations and testifications and the follow-up according to the accreditation procedure of Certification Bodies, all this aligned with the IAF and SAE guidelines.

El Servicio de Acreditación Ecuatoriano (SAE) currently offers this successful practice to other countries through the modality of technical assistance and exchange of experts, a case of this is the advice provided to Colombia. The conclusions that this practice leaves are the following:

• By maintaining the support of the FSSC 22000 Foundation and its recognition for El Servicio de Acreditación Ecuatoriano (SAE) as the accrediting body of the FSSC 22000 scheme, and being one of the most important in the high-level certifications of the Global Food Safety Initiative (referred to as GFSI), implies that the SAE carries out activities and implements policies that allow it to maintain its status internationally. 

• It is important to manage the constant participation of El Servicio de Acreditación Ecuatoriano (SAE) staff in the technical webinars (technical training), annual harmonization conferences offered by the Foundation, in order to strengthen the technical team. 

SAE, confidence in quality.