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Food businesses have three related developments to follow, but they are at different stages. The next edition of ISO 22000 is still a draft. The revised ISO 22002 prerequisite programme (PRP) standards were published in 2025. And FSSC 22000 Version 7 was released in May 2026, so sites certified to that scheme can begin planning their upgrade. Understanding which document applies to your operation is more useful than treating all three as one new certification deadline.
This matters to food manufacturers, caterers, packaging suppliers, cold-chain operators and other UAE businesses that use HACCP, good manufacturing practices (GMP), ISO 22000 or FSSC 22000 to manage food safety. Each organisation should start with its own products, processes, certification scope and customer requirements.
ISO 22000:2018 remains the published certification standard
ISO is developing ISO/DIS 22000, a draft revision of its food safety management system (FSMS) requirements. The draft reached the enquiry stage, and its ballot closed on 30 July 2026. It has not replaced the published ISO 22000:2018, including Amendment 1:2024 on climate action. There is no new ISO 22000 edition or announced transition deadline to apply to an existing certificate at this point.
ISO 22000 gives food-chain organisations a management system for controlling food safety hazards. It connects leadership, communication, planning, PRPs, hazard analysis, operational controls, verification and continual improvement. For now, certified businesses should keep operating and auditing their current FSMS. They can track the revision and review any final requirements once ISO publishes them; a draft alone is a poor basis for claiming that a specific new clause is compulsory.
ISO 22002:2025 gives PRPs a clearer common foundation
PRPs are the everyday conditions that make safe food production possible. Depending on the operation, these include hygiene, cleaning, pest control, equipment maintenance, storage, supplier controls and the prevention of cross-contact. They support HACCP hazard controls, but do not replace the need to identify hazards and choose appropriate controls for each process.
In July 2025, ISO published ISO 22002-100:2025, which brings shared PRP requirements for the food, feed and packaging supply chain into a common document. It is designed to work alongside an applicable sector-specific part. For example, a manufacturer can review ISO 22002-1:2025 with Part 100, while a catering operation can review ISO 22002-2:2025 with Part 100. This arrangement reduces repeated requirements across sector standards and gives teams a clearer way to map common controls against their specific activities.
Applicability matters: ISO says ISO 22002-100 is not mandatory by itself for standalone ISO 22000 certification. A business must still show that its PRPs meet ISO 22000's requirements. An HACCP or GMP programme should use the new documents where they are relevant to its customer commitments, chosen scheme, contracts and actual risks; publication of the series does not automatically recertify or change every HACCP programme.
FSSC 22000 Version 7 is published: plan the scheme upgrade
Unlike the ISO 22000 revision, FSSC 22000 Version 7 has been released. The scheme combines ISO 22000 requirements with applicable sector PRPs and FSSC's additional requirements. Version 7 incorporates the revised PRP framework and updates scheme documents, so a certified site should compare the actual Version 7 documents for its food-chain category against the documents used for its Version 6 audit.
Food loss and waste and allergen management deserve attention in a gap review, but teams should not assume those subjects first appeared in Version 7. Check where existing controls need to be carried forward or adjusted. Review any applicable product-design or packaging-design changes, the assigned category, and any effect on audit planning with your certification body. The precise gap depends on what the site makes or handles and which additional requirements apply.
FSSC's published upgrade schedule permits Version 6 audits through 30 April 2027. Sites should agree the timing of their Version 7 audit with their certification body and allow enough time for revised PRPs to operate, generate records and be checked internally. FSSC Version 7's release does not mean the unpublished ISO 22000 revision is already in force.
What should UAE food organisations do now?
Identify the requirements that actually apply. Record whether each site works to HACCP/GMP alone, ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, or several frameworks. Check the certification scope, sector category, customer specifications and local requirements before building a transition plan.
Review PRPs on the floor. For relevant activities, compare documented practices and records with ISO 22002-100:2025 and the applicable sector part. Follow controls through receiving, storage, handling, production and dispatch. Identify real gaps in training, verification or evidence, rather than just renumbering procedures.
Keep HACCP decisions linked to the operation. Revisit process flow diagrams, hazard analysis and the distinction between general PRPs and hazard-specific controls when products, suppliers, equipment or packaging change. Verify that monitoring, corrective action and review records show the controls working.
Book the FSSC upgrade deliberately. If certified to FSSC 22000, obtain the Version 7 scheme documents, complete a category-specific gap assessment and discuss the audit date and any audit-duration implications with your certification body. Make changes early enough to demonstrate effective implementation.
Monitor ISO 22000 without inventing a deadline. Maintain the current ISO 22000:2018 system, follow ISO's published revision status and update a transition plan when a final edition and authoritative certification arrangements are available.
Qdot supports UAE food businesses with ISO 22000 FSMS development and certification-readiness work, including practical PRP and HACCP implementation. Where an organisation also holds FSSC certification, its independent certification body confirms the applicable scheme upgrade and performs the external certification audit.
Sources: ISO, ISO 22000:2018 and Amendment 1:2024; ISO, ISO/DIS 22000 draft and development stage; ISO, ISO 22002-100:2025 and certification FAQ; ISO, ISO 22002-1:2025 for food manufacturing; ISO, ISO 22002-2:2025 for catering; FSSC, Version 7 release and key changes; FSSC, Version 7 scheme documents.
