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7.2

Competence

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

The requirement that applies today

The organization works out what competence is needed for the work that affects food safety and the effectiveness of the system, including work done by external providers. It makes sure those people are competent through education, training or experience, and that the food safety team has a mix of disciplines covering the products, processes, equipment and hazards in scope. Where competence is missing it takes action and checks the action worked. It keeps evidence.

ISO 22000:2018, 7.2 Competence; ISO/DIS 22000:2026, 7.2.

What the draft does

Unchanged title: The public contents keep 7.2 at the same number and title. No structural change is shown, but the new clauses create new areas of competence to cover.

Source: public contents and foreword at 7.2, retrieved 2026-10-19.

Why this clause matters

Competence is the most sampled clause in any audit, and the easiest to fake with a training matrix. The real question is whether the person can do the task without help. The revision adds culture and complaint handling, which create new competence needs for supervisors and customer-facing staff.

Suggested evidence to discuss with your auditor

For 7.2, 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 competence matrix by role, with the evidence for each required competence
  • Training records with an assessment of effectiveness, not only attendance
  • Evidence of the food safety team’s combined disciplines

Where systems usually fall short

  • A training matrix that records attendance but not capability
  • New tasks, such as complaint trend analysis, assigned with no training

How to prepare

Choose the three tasks most likely to cause a food safety failure if done wrong, and show that the person doing each can explain and demonstrate it. Record the demonstration. That is stronger evidence than a certificate of attendance.

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

5.3, 7.1.2, 7.3, 8.5.4.3

Source

Clause 7.2. Current edition: ISO 22000:2018. Draft: ISO/DIS 22000:2026. Retrieved 2026-10-19. The full DIS text for 7.2 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.