What the held sources require
No current numbered requirement Draft title plus held scheme obligation
The draft adds a clause on food safety culture. The draft wording is not held. The obligation below is the held FSSC 22000 Version 7 requirement at 2.5.8, which covers the same ground and is already assessed at an FSSC-certified site. Senior management sets culture objectives inside the management system and provides the resources to keep the culture positive. The objectives cover communication, training, feedback from and engagement of employees, and measurement of how the defined activities perform in every part of the organization that affects food safety. A documented culture plan with targets and timelines supports the objectives, is reviewed at management review and feeds continual improvement, and the site can show that staff are committed to producing and handling food safely.
ISO/DIS 22000:2026, 5.4 Food safety culture; held obligation: FSSC 22000 Version 7 2.5.8.
What the draft does
New in the draft; obligation from held FSSC 22000 v7 2.5.8: The public contents name 5.4 and the foreword lists food safety culture. The draft wording is not held. The obligation on this page is the held FSSC 22000 Version 7 clause 2.5.8 requirement, stated in our own words and labelled as a scheme requirement, not the DIS text.
Source: public contents and foreword at 5.4, retrieved 2026-10-19.
Held obligation: FSSC 22000 Version 7 2.5.8, stated in our own words.
Why this clause matters
This is the largest new ISO management demand, and for an EU food business a culture duty already exists under Regulation 852/2004 Chapter XIa, in force since 24 March 2021. The held scheme requirement is useful because it turns culture into objectives, a plan, measures and review, not a poster. That is what an auditor can sample.
Suggested evidence to discuss with your auditor
For 5.4, these are the artefacts we suggest discussing with your auditor. The standard publishes no evidence list, so this is our reading, not a requirement.
- Documented culture objectives and a plan with targets, timelines and owners
- Employee feedback and engagement records, and the actions taken
- Culture measures reported in management review
- Observation and interviews showing staff commitment
Where systems usually fall short
- A culture plan that is a poster with no targets or measurement
- Feedback collected but never acted on
- Culture not reviewed by senior management
How to prepare
Write four culture objectives with a measure, an owner and a date: how the site communicates, how people are trained, how they are heard and involved, and how each area that affects food safety performs. Run a short anonymous baseline, publish the result, pick two actions, and put the measures in the next management review. For an EU site, keep the Chapter XIa evidence with it.
Dates
Cross-references
Source
Clause 5.4. Current edition: ISO 22000:2018. Draft: ISO/DIS 22000:2026. Retrieved 2026-10-19. The full DIS text for 5.4 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.