The requirement that applies today
The organization identifies the legal food safety requirements for every raw material, ingredient and product contact material, and keeps enough information about each to do the hazard analysis. That includes biological, chemical and physical characteristics, composition including additives and processing aids, source, place of origin, production method, packaging and delivery, storage conditions and shelf life, preparation before use, and acceptance criteria or specifications for the intended use.
ISO 22000:2018, 8.5.1.2 Preliminary steps: characteristics of raw materials, ingredients and product contact materials; ISO/DIS 22000:2026, 8.5.1.2.
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 8.5.1.2, retrieved 2026-10-19.
Why this clause matters
This is the single richest input to the hazard analysis, and the place where food fraud, allergens and supplier change collide. A missing place of origin or an out-of-date specification can hide a hazard that the analysis never sees.
Suggested evidence to discuss with your auditor
For 8.5.1.2, 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 material specification for each raw material and contact material, current and approved
- Place of origin and source recorded for each material
- Acceptance criteria that link to the hazard analysis
Where systems usually fall short
- Specifications older than the last supplier change
- Allergen and composition data held only in a supplier certificate
How to prepare
Pick the five materials with the highest risk and check each specification against the current supplier and the current recipe. Update the ones that have drifted. This is also the input for the fraud assessment under 8.1.3.
Dates
Cross-references
8.1.3, 8.5.1.1, 8.5.1.3, 8.5.2
Source
Clause 8.5.1.2. Current edition: ISO 22000:2018. Draft: ISO/DIS 22000:2026. Retrieved 2026-10-19. The full DIS text for 8.5.1.2 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.