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8.4.2

Emergency preparedness and response: handling of emergencies and incidents

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

The requirement that applies today

When an emergency or incident happens, the organization responds by identifying the legal requirements, communicating internally and externally to suppliers, customers, authorities and the media as appropriate, and acting to reduce the consequences in proportion to the event and its food safety impact. It tests the procedures periodically where practical and reviews and updates the documented information after an event or a test.

ISO 22000:2018, 8.4.2 Emergency preparedness and response: handling of emergencies and incidents; ISO/DIS 22000:2026, 8.4.2.

What the draft does

Unchanged title: The public contents keep 8.4.2 at the same number and title. No structural change is shown.

Source: public contents and foreword at 8.4.2, retrieved 2026-10-19.

Why this clause matters

This is the clause that governs the first 24 hours. The decisions that matter are who declares the event, who speaks to the authority and the customer, and how product is held. Sites that have not rehearsed this lose time arguing about authority while product moves.

Suggested evidence to discuss with your auditor

For 8.4.2, these are the artefacts we suggest discussing with your auditor. The standard publishes no evidence list, so this is our reading, not a requirement.

  • A decision tree for declaring an incident and holding product
  • A communication log from a test or a real event, with timestamps
  • A post-event review that changed the procedure

Where systems usually fall short

  • No named person who can stop distribution
  • External communication improvised under pressure

How to prepare

Write the first hour as a one-page decision tree: who decides, who calls the customer, who calls the authority, who holds the lot. Test it with a fictional event and time each step.

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

7.4.2, 8.4.1, 8.9.4, 8.9.5

Source

Clause 8.4.2. Current edition: ISO 22000:2018. Draft: ISO/DIS 22000:2026. Retrieved 2026-10-19. The full DIS text for 8.4.2 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.