The requirement that applies today
Before the hazard analysis, the food safety team collects, maintains and updates the documented information it needs. This includes applicable legal, regulatory and customer requirements, what it makes, how it makes it and the plant it uses, and the food safety hazards relevant to the system.
ISO 22000:2018, 8.5.1.1 Preliminary steps: general; ISO/DIS 22000:2026, 8.5.1.1.
What the draft does
Subclause of 8.5.1; not listed separately in the public contents: The public contents name 8.5.1 at this position but do not list its subclauses. The subclause structure shown here comes from the held current edition; whether the draft keeps it is sold by ISO and not held here.
Source: public contents and foreword at 8.5.1.1, retrieved 2026-10-19.
Why this clause matters
The quality of the hazard analysis is capped by the quality of this preparation. A team that starts with a blank hazard table and no product or process description will produce a generic analysis. The clause is a reminder that the analysis is the last step, not the first.
Suggested evidence to discuss with your auditor
For 8.5.1.1, 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 preparation file with the legal requirements, product list and process list
- Evidence that the file is current for the products actually made
- A record of the team's review before the hazard analysis
Where systems usually fall short
- A hazard analysis that starts from last year's table
- Legal requirements that have not been updated since the last audit
How to prepare
Assemble the preparation file as one index with a date. If a document in it is more than a year old, check whether the product or the law has changed. Do this before touching the hazard table.
Dates
Cross-references
Source
Clause 8.5.1.1. Current edition: ISO 22000:2018. Draft: ISO/DIS 22000:2026. Retrieved 2026-10-19. The full DIS text for 8.5.1.1 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.