Key takeaways
  • HACCP is a method, not a certification scheme. FSSC 22000 and BRCGS are certifiable, GFSI-recognised schemes that include HACCP principles.
  • The choice is usually made by your customers, not by you. Ask them before evaluating anything.
  • BRCGS is prescriptive and graded; FSSC is management-system led and pass or fail.
The question to ask first
Which scheme do your customers accept?

Both FSSC 22000 and BRCGS are GFSI-recognised, so in principle either satisfies a GFSI requirement. In practice specific retailers and manufacturers express preferences, and certifying to the wrong one is an expensive way to learn that.

HACCP

Seven principles for identifying and controlling food safety hazards: conduct a hazard analysis, determine critical control points, establish critical limits, monitor, define corrective actions, verify, and keep records. It is a legal requirement in many jurisdictions and a component of both schemes below, but there is no single global HACCP certificate.

FSSC 22000

  • Built on ISO 22000, so it will feel familiar if you already run an ISO management system.
  • Adds sector-specific prerequisites via ISO/TS 22002 and scheme additional requirements.
  • Outcome is pass or fail rather than graded.
  • Suits organisations with existing ISO 9001 or ISO 14001 systems, because the structure aligns.

BRCGS Food Safety

  • Highly prescriptive: the standard tells you what to do in considerable detail.
  • Graded outcome from AA down, which customers use to compare suppliers directly.
  • Includes fundamental clauses where a major nonconformity carries heavier consequences.
  • Widely required by UK and European retailers in particular.

Choosing between them

  • Ask your three largest customers what they accept and prefer. This usually settles it.
  • If you already run ISO-structured management systems, FSSC integrates with less duplication.
  • If your team prefers explicit instructions over interpreting requirements, BRCGS is easier to implement.
  • If your customers compare suppliers on grade, BRCGS gives them a number to compare.
  • Consider audit style: BRCGS audits are detailed and site-focused; FSSC audits weigh system evidence more heavily.

What both require regardless

A working HACCP plan, functioning prerequisite programmes, traceability tested in both directions, allergen control, and evidence that checks were performed when they were supposed to be. The certification choice changes the shape of the paperwork more than it changes the daily work.