Quality control alongside food safety

Plain-language summary

A quality policy and objectives, product quality parameters and release, quantity control with calibrated equipment, and line clearance at start-up and changeover.

What the clause is really asking

FSSC 22000 is a food safety scheme, but Version 7 expects quality to be managed inside the same system. You need a quality policy and objectives aligned to ISO 22000 5.2 and 6.2; quality parameters in line with finished-product specifications for every product or product group in scope, including product release and testing; analysis of the quality results as a management-review input; and quality elements inside the internal audit scope. Quantity control — unit, weight, volume — needs its own procedures and a calibration and verification programme for the equipment used. Line start-up and changeover procedures must make sure products, packaging and labelling meet customer and legal requirements, including controls that confirm labels and packaging from the previous run have been removed from the line.

What auditors look for

Auditors ask for the quality policy and objectives, then check that quality results actually reach management review and that internal audits cover quality. They watch a changeover and ask for the line-clearance record. They check the checkweigher or filler calibration.

Typical evidence

Quality policy and objectives; product specifications with quality parameters and release criteria; quality results analysis and management review inputs; internal audit scope including quality; quantity control procedure and calibration/verification records; start-up and changeover procedure with line-clearance records

How to comply — recommendations

Fold quality into what you already run: add quality objectives next to the food safety ones, add a quality line to the audit checklist, and put quality data on the review agenda. Make line clearance a signed step that names labels and packaging explicitly — mislabelling from leftover packaging is a classic recall cause.

Common nonconformities

No quality policy or objectives; quality left out of internal audits or management review; quantity-control equipment not calibrated; changeover procedure with no label/packaging removal check

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.