Equipment management — hygienic design and change control

Plain-language summary

A purchase specification that covers hygienic design before equipment is bought, and risk-based change management with commissioning evidence for new or changed equipment.

What the clause is really asking

Equipment brought in without a food-safety view is a hazard bolted to the floor. For every category except brokers and traders you need a documented purchase specification addressing hygienic design, applicable legal and customer requirements, and the equipment's intended use including the product it will handle — and the supplier must show it meets that specification before installation. New equipment and changes to existing equipment must go through a risk-based change management process, adequately documented, with evidence of successful commissioning, an assessment of effects on existing systems, and control measures determined and implemented.

What auditors look for

Auditors pick the newest piece of equipment on site and ask for its purchase specification, the supplier's evidence against it, the change assessment and the commissioning record. A machine that arrived and started running the same week is a finding waiting to happen.

Typical evidence

Equipment purchase specification template and completed specifications; supplier evidence of conformance prior to installation; change management records with risk assessment; commissioning evidence; updated PRPs, cleaning validations and hazard analysis after the change

How to comply — recommendations

Put hygienic design and cleanability into the purchase specification before the order is placed, and make supplier evidence a condition of delivery. Run equipment changes through the same change form as product changes, with commissioning and cleaning validation as sign-off steps.

Common nonconformities

No purchase specification, or one written after delivery; supplier evidence never requested; equipment changes undocumented; commissioning not recorded; cleaning validation and hazard analysis not updated after a change

Resources for this clause

• ArticleFSSC 22000 Version 7 explained: what changed, the dates that matter, and how to prepare for the upgrade audit
• Free downloadFSSC 22000 V7 Gap ChecklistEvery change from FSSC 22000 Version 6 to Version 7 as a tracked project — V6 audits end on 30 April 2027, and this is the file that gets a site to its upgrade audit with the evidence ready.
• Free masterclass · ~18 minFSSC 22000 V7 MasterclassV6 audits end 30 April 2027. Every V7 change clause by clause — the new ISO 22002 family, allergen testing, culture evidence, fraud/defence competence, food loss & waste targets — and a 90-day plan.