A Private Label Buyer's Guide to FSSAI, HACCP & ISO 22000 Certification

If you are sourcing a private label food product from a manufacturer in India, you will encounter three acronyms almost immediately: FSSAI, HACCP, and ISO 22000. Most manufacturers will tell you they hold all three. But what do these certifications actually cover? And what should they mean for you as a buyer? This plain-English guide answers both questions.

What Is FSSAI and Why Does It Matter?

FSSAI — the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India — is India's central food regulatory body. An FSSAI licence is the baseline legal requirement for any entity that manufactures, stores, distributes, or sells food in India. There are three tiers:

• Basic Registration (turnover < ₹12 lakh): Smallest operators
• State Licence (turnover ₹12L–20 crore): Mid-scale operations
• Central Licence (turnover > ₹20 crore, or manufacturing for export): Large-scale and export manufacturers

What to ask your manufacturer: Request the FSSAI Central Licence number. Verify it on the FSSAI FoSCoS portal. Confirm that the licence categories include the specific product type you are ordering — a manufacturer licensed for spices is not automatically licensed to produce ready-to-eat meals.

What Is HACCP and Why Is It Different?

HACCP — Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points — is not a certification scheme in the same sense as ISO. It is a systematic preventive approach to food safety that identifies, evaluates, and controls physical, chemical, and biological hazards in the food production process.

A HACCP plan defines the Critical Control Points (CCPs) in your manufacturing process — the specific steps where a safety control is essential. For pasta extrusion, a CCP might be the drying temperature (to eliminate pathogen risk). For a spice blend, it might be the metal detection step. At each CCP, there are defined critical limits, monitoring procedures, and corrective actions.

What HACCP certification means for a buyer: The manufacturer has had their HACCP plan audited and verified by a third-party certification body. It means the risks in their process have been mapped and are being actively controlled — not just theoretically covered.

What to ask your manufacturer: Ask to see the HACCP plan scope. Ask which CCPs govern the specific product you are ordering. Ask when the last audit was conducted and by which certifying body.

What Is ISO 22000?

ISO 22000 is an international standard for Food Safety Management Systems (FSMS). It integrates HACCP principles with broader management system requirements from the ISO 9001 family — covering communication, documentation, management review, continual improvement, and emergency preparedness.

ISO 22000 is important for two reasons. First, it is widely recognised by international retail buyers and procurement teams — it is the minimum you will typically need to sell into European supermarkets, US retail chains, or GCC food service operators. Second, it requires the manufacturer to consider the entire food chain, not just their own facility floor.

ISO 22000 vs HACCP: Think of HACCP as the food safety core and ISO 22000 as the full management system built around that core. ISO 22000 includes HACCP, but also requires formal documentation, internal auditing, and top management commitment.

What to ask your manufacturer: Ask for the ISO 22000 certificate, the scope statement, and the name of the certifying body. Cross-check the certificate number with the body's public registry.

Beyond the Basics: What Else Should You Look For?

For export markets or speciality channels, you may also need:

• BRCGS (Brand Reputation through Compliance Global Standards) — The gold standard for UK and European retail. Graded A+, A, B, C.
• US FDA Registration — Required for any product imported into the United States.
• Halal / Kosher — Religious dietary certifications that are mandatory for GCC and Jewish market segments.
• Organic Certification — NPOP (India) or NOP (USDA) certification for organic-claim products.

At Zeovus, we hold FSSAI (Central), HACCP, ISO 22000, Halal, Kosher, Organic, and Vegan certifications — and are US FDA registered for export. See the full list on our Manufacturing page.

The One Question Every Private Label Buyer Should Ask

Beyond the paper: "Can you show me the CoA for the last three batches of this product?"

A Certificate of Analysis shows you what actually came off the line — protein content, moisture, microbial counts, allergen status. Certifications tell you the system is right. A CoA tells you the output is right. Any serious manufacturer will produce one without hesitation.

Ready to talk about sourcing your private label product? Get in touch with our team.