The requirement that applies today
The food safety team prepares and maintains flow diagrams for the products or categories and processes in scope. The diagrams show the sequence and interaction of steps, outsourced processes, where materials, utilities and intermediates enter, where rework and recycling happen, and where products, by-products and waste leave. The team confirms the diagrams on site, updates them and keeps the record. It also describes the premises layout, equipment and contact materials, process parameters and existing controls, and external requirements that affect the choice and strictness of controls, including seasonal and shift variation.
ISO 22000:2018, 8.5.1.5 Preliminary steps: flow diagrams and description of processes; ISO/DIS 22000:2026, 8.5.1.5.
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 8.5.1.5, retrieved 2026-10-19.
Why this clause matters
A flow diagram that does not match the line is the most common root cause of a weak hazard analysis. The on-site confirmation is the step teams skip. The revision keeps the requirement, and a transition is a natural time to walk the line with the diagram in hand.
Suggested evidence to discuss with your auditor
For 8.5.1.5, 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 current flow diagram for each product family, signed and dated
- The on-site confirmation record, with who walked the line and what changed
- Process parameters and existing controls recorded against each step
Where systems usually fall short
- A diagram drawn at a desk and never checked on the line
- Seasonal or shift variation left out
How to prepare
Walk the line with the diagram at the start of a shift and at the end. Mark every difference, then update the diagram. Do it with an operator, not only with management.
Dates
Cross-references
8.5.1.2, 8.5.1.5, 8.5.2.2, 8.6
Source
Clause 8.5.1.5. Current edition: ISO 22000:2018. Draft: ISO/DIS 22000:2026. Retrieved 2026-10-19. The full DIS text for 8.5.1.5 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.