BRCGS vs FSSC 22000: which food safety certification is right for your business?

If your buyers are asking for a GFSI-recognised certification, you have almost certainly been pointed at BRCGS or FSSC 22000. Both open the same doors, but they suit different businesses, and choosing the wrong one costs you audit days and documentation you did not need.

What they have in common

Both are GFSI-benchmarked, both cover food safety management end to end, and both are accepted by major retailers and manufacturers worldwide. If a customer simply says "GFSI certification", either will satisfy them.

Where they differ

• BRCGS is a prescriptive product standard: it tells you exactly what good looks like, clause by clause, and grades your site (AA to D)
• FSSC 22000 is a management system standard built on ISO 22000: it tells you what outcomes to achieve and lets you decide how
• BRCGS audits are typically more checklist-driven; FSSC audits probe how well your system actually thinks
• FSSC integrates cleanly with ISO 9001/14001 if you already run ISO management systems

Retail-facing exporters usually land on BRCGS. Manufacturers embedded in ISO-run supply chains usually land on FSSC 22000.

How to decide in practice

Start from your customers. Pull your top ten buyers and check their supplier requirements: UK and EU retail programmes often name BRCGS specifically, while multinationals such as Yum! Brands accept any GFSI scheme, where FSSC is usually the cheaper path if you already have HACCP and ISO habits in place.

Still unsure? A one-hour scoping call with a consultant who has implemented both will settle it faster than weeks of reading standards documents.