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5.1

Leadership and commitment

ClauseUnchanged titleRetrieved 2026-10-19Last updated: 2026-10-19

The requirement that applies today

Top management has to show, through what it does rather than what it says, that the food safety system matters. The clause lists the behaviours: setting policy and objectives that fit the strategy, putting the system into the business processes, providing resources, communicating why it matters, reviewing performance, supporting people, promoting improvement and backing other managers to lead in their own areas.

ISO 22000:2018, 5.1 Leadership and commitment; ISO/DIS 22000:2026, 5.1.

What the draft does

Unchanged title: The public contents keep 5.1 at the same number and title. The draft adds food safety culture at 5.4, which gives the behaviours in 5.1 a measurable home.

Source: public contents and foreword at 5.1, retrieved 2026-10-19.

Why this clause matters

Auditors increasingly test this clause by interviewing operators and supervisors, not only the site director. If the people on the line cannot say what the site does about food safety or why it matters, the leadership evidence is thin no matter how many signed minutes exist.

Suggested evidence to discuss with your auditor

For 5.1, these are the artefacts we suggest discussing with your auditor. The standard publishes no evidence list, so this is our reading, not a requirement.

  • A resource decision that shows food safety winning over a cheaper option
  • Records of leaders walking the floor, with the issues they raised and how they closed
  • Interviews or survey results showing operators can explain the policy and their role

Where systems usually fall short

  • A signed policy with no behaviour behind it
  • Food safety reviewed only when an audit is due

How to prepare

Ask three operators and two supervisors, without warning, what the site does when a food safety concern is raised. Write down the answers. That transcript is better evidence than a new slide deck, and it shows where the culture work has to start.

Dates

Applies todayISO 22000:2018 as amended in 2024, the edition published today; certificate treatment after a new edition depends on the transition arrangements
DraftISO/DIS 22000:2026, DIS ballot closed 2026-07-29
Planning date2027-09-12 (estimate, not an ISO date)

Cross-references

5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 7.3

Source

Clause 5.1. Current edition: ISO 22000:2018. Draft: ISO/DIS 22000:2026. Retrieved 2026-10-19. The full DIS text for 5.1 is sold by ISO and not held here; the sources page lists what is.

Not legal advice; does not certify; our words, not the standard's, and the planning date is an estimate.