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How Does FSSC 22000 Strengthen Control Over Outsourced Processes?

By July 18, 2025No Comments

How Does FSSC 22000 Strengthen Control Over Outsourced Processes?

In today’s food industry, outsourcing is common—from cleaning services, logistics, pest control, to even partial food processing or packaging.
But with outsourcing comes risk—loss of visibility, weak controls, and increased food safety vulnerabilities.

That’s why FSSC 22000 (a GFSI-recognized food safety standard) has clear requirements to help organizations identify, evaluate, and control outsourced processes effectively.

Let’s explore how FSSC 22000 helps strengthen supplier and contractor control—especially for critical food safety tasks.

🔍 What Are Outsourced Processes?

  • Activities performed by an external party that are part of your FSMS (Food Safety Management System)

  • Can include:

    • Pest control services

    • Cleaning and sanitation contracts

    • Transportation and cold chain logistics

    • Laboratory testing

    • Secondary processing or repackaging

  • If not controlled properly, these can become points of contamination or non-compliance

✅ How FSSC 22000 Strengthens Control Over Outsourced Processes

1. Clause 7.1.6 of ISO 22000:2018

  • Requires organizations to control outsourced processes

  • These processes must:

    • Be identified

    • Be monitored and evaluated

    • Conform to customer and legal requirements

2. FSSC 22000 Additional Requirement: Management of Services & Purchased Materials

  • Organizations must:

    • Ensure services impacting food safety are approved, monitored, and reviewed

    • Maintain documented agreements with service providers

    • Include relevant food safety expectations in contracts

3. Service Provider Risk Assessment

  • Conduct formal risk assessments before outsourcing:

    • Is the service related to product safety?

    • Does it affect regulatory or GFSI compliance?

  • Classify service providers based on risk level:

    • Low (e.g., landscaping)

    • Medium (e.g., pest control)

    • High (e.g., outsourced processing or cleaning)

4. Supplier & Contractor Approval Procedures

  • Implement procedures for:

    • Initial evaluation and qualification

    • Routine performance review

    • Documentation of non-conformances or service failures

  • Maintain a list of approved outsourced service providers

5. Agreements & Contracts with Food Safety Clauses

  • Clearly define:

    • Scope of work

    • Food safety expectations

    • Cleaning/disinfection agents used

    • Training or hygiene standards for contractor personnel

  • Include terms for:

    • Audit rights

    • Corrective action processes

    • Termination for food safety violations

6. Monitoring and Verification

  • Regularly monitor contractor activities:

    • Through internal audits

    • Via on-site inspections

    • Using performance KPIs (e.g., cleaning effectiveness, pest activity trends)

  • Require evidence of compliance:

    • Training records

    • Calibration logs

    • Chemical SDS for cleaning agents

7. Include Outsourced Activities in FSMS Scope

  • FSSC 22000 demands that any outsourced process impacting food safety must be:

    • Included in your hazard analysis

    • Reflected in your food safety plan

    • Monitored and evaluated just like internal processes

❗Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • ❌ Treating contractors as “outside responsibility”

  • ❌ Lack of clear food safety clauses in service contracts

  • ❌ Failure to include outsourced processes in internal audits

  • ❌ Approving service providers without documented risk evaluation

  • ❌ Ignoring hygiene and GMP compliance for temporary staff or external workers

📌 Best Practices for Managing Outsourced Processes

  • Maintain a centralized supplier/contractor database

  • Create outsourced process SOPs (e.g., how to verify pest control, cleaning, logistics)

  • Conduct joint audits with key service providers

  • Train your internal staff on how to supervise and verify external contractors

  • Include outsourcing risks in your management review and food safety objectives

🏁 Final Thoughts

In a certified FSSC 22000 system, outsourcing does not mean offloading responsibility.
You’re still accountable for food safety outcomes, even when a task is performed by someone outside your walls.

By applying strong controls, evaluations, and monitoring, you not only meet FSSC 22000 requirements—but also protect your brand, your product, and your customer.

Need help developing contractor control SOPs or audit checklists?
At CAYS Scientific, we help food businesses across Malaysia strengthen their FSMS by managing outsourcing risks the right way. Contact us today to build a compliant, audit-ready system.

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