Snell is pleased to announce that we have achieved FSSC 22000, a stringent and internationally recognised food safety management certification. To ensure food safety throughout the supply chain, FSSC 22000 is based on ISO 22000 but incorporates additional technical standards and sector-specific requirements.

According to FSSC's publicly accessible register, Snell is one of the first warehousing companies in New Zealand to achieve FSSC 22000. Snell's two largest facilities, based in Auckland and Christchurch, are now FSSC 22000 certified with preparations underway to have our Hamilton and Wellington sites ISO 22000 certified by April 2025. This is a key step in progressing our Hamilton and Wellington sites to FSSC 22000. 

At its inception, the standard now known as FSSC 22000 was based on the key requirements for global food manufacturing giants, such as Coca-Cola, Nestlé, Heinz and others. By ensuring thier suppliers met a singular standard, the organisations can have confidence in the quality of their products in the market. 

Recently, New Zealand and Australia have allowed warehousing and transiting companies, such as Snell, to attempt to achieve this standard. 

FSSC 22000 integrates with management systems, such as ISO 9001 (quality management) an ISO 14001 (environmental management) which Snell is pleased to have retained for another year. Our FSSC 22000 certification replaces Snell's HACCP certification, another but less stringent food safety certification. 

Snell's National Compliance Officer, Scott Andrews, says: 

"The process of achieving FSSC 22000 is lengthy and demanding. Myself and the team have collectively invested over 1,000 hours to meet the standard required to be certified. However, it's a moving target so we need to be demonstrating continuous improvement to ensure we retain this high level of certification".

Reflecting on the achievement, Snell's Chief Executive, Shaun Williams, says:

"Snell achieving FSSC 22000 ahead of our original target date reflects the diligence, focus on quality and ESG compliance within our business and throughout our international supply network. I am immensely proud of the team for their efforts".  

"Snell's motivation for achieving FSSC 22000 is rooted in retaining our position as the trusted partner for our customers. As many businesses work to achieve their ESG objectives, we are needing to uphold these standards ourselves so we can continue to partner with some of New Zealand's largest manufacturers, agriculture and food processing companies", he continues. 

Initially, this was an aspirational level of certification for our business. Shortly after making the decision to pursue FSSC 22000, we found several customers would now expect this as the mandatory requirement for supply of products into their businesses. Supermarkets and QSRs are among the businesses we're seeing require FSSC 22000 of their suppliers. 

By holding such a high level of certification, Snell can facilitate the access to global markets which many of our customers depend on to serve their customers. FSSC 22000 includes a food fraud vulnerability assessment. With food fraud being estimated to cost the gloabl food industry US$49 billion a year, it's a significant issue which threatens the brand reputation and financial security of New Zealand businesses. 

There are also clear implications for businesses catering to the New Zealand market. For example, the media has warned that many banks in New Zealand will not lend to businesses unless they are meeting thier ESG obligations. Last year, ASB and Trevelyan's, New Zealand's largest single-site kiwifruit and avocado packhouse, partnered on a sustainability-linked loan.

There are significant risks to engaging a supplier who is not FSSC 22000 certified. To make an informed decision, ensure you understand the safegards you may need to put in place to reduce your risk exposure. Follow Snell on LinkedIn as guidance on this is coming soon.