The requirement that applies today
The organization makes sure enough information goes out to the interested parties in the food chain and is available to them. It keeps effective communication with external providers and contractors, with customers and consumers about product information, hazards that others must control, contracts and orders, and feedback including complaints, with statutory and regulatory authorities, and with other organizations affected by the system. Named people have authority for food safety communication, and the evidence is kept.
ISO 22000:2018, 7.4.2 Communication: external; ISO/DIS 22000:2026, 7.4.2.
What the draft does
Unchanged title: The public contents keep 7.4.2 at the same number and title. The draft adds complaints management at 10.3, so the feedback part of this clause becomes more prominent.
Source: public contents and foreword at 7.4.2, retrieved 2026-10-19.
Why this clause matters
This is the clause behind the label, the customer letter, the supplier specification and the regulator notification. It is also a legal exposure: the wrong statement to a customer or an authority can outlive the incident. The draft adds complaints as its own clause, which raises the profile of one part of this requirement.
Suggested evidence to discuss with your auditor
For 7.4.2, these are the artefacts we suggest discussing with your auditor. The standard publishes no evidence list, so this is our reading, not a requirement.
- Customer and consumer product information, approved and current
- A record of hazard information passed to other parties in the chain
- Named people with authority to communicate, and examples of it
Where systems usually fall short
- Product information that has not kept pace with a recipe or supplier change
- Complaints received but not analysed for a food safety signal
How to prepare
Choose one product and trace the information a customer would need to handle it safely. Then check it against the current specification. Any mismatch is a live risk, not a documentation issue.
Dates
Cross-references
Source
Clause 7.4.2. Current edition: ISO 22000:2018. Draft: ISO/DIS 22000:2026. Retrieved 2026-10-19. The full DIS text for 7.4.2 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.