New FSSC 22000 V7 packaging rules link 40,000 certified firms to global food waste reduction

GLOBAL – Foundation FSSC has incorporated packaging design requirements into FSSC 22000 Version 7, mandating that over 40,000 certified organisations apply Save Food Packaging principles from the World Packaging Organisation and Australasian Institute of Packaging to reduce food loss and waste.

The new requirement, introduced in Version 7 of the global food safety certification scheme published on 1 May 2026, applies to all organisations that design primary packaging and packaging materials. 

This builds on the food loss and waste requirement introduced in Version 6, which applied to all food chain categories except packaging manufacturing, and extends the scope to include packaging design. 

The guidelines are based on research from the World Packaging Organisation, the Australasian Institute of Packaging, the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and End Food Waste Australia.

Save Food Packaging Principles Emphasise Protection and Preservation Across the Value Chain

Nerida Kelton, Vice President of Sustainability and Save Food at the WPO and Executive Director of the AIP, stated that the true role of packaging is its functionality, and packaging needs to be designed to ensure that a product is protected, preserved, contained and transported all the way through the value chain from production until it is used in the household. 

She added that Save Food Packaging guidelines aim to minimise food waste from “paddock to plate” using design features that protect and preserve, all while meeting global sustainable packaging targets. 

The design principles included in V7 were developed by the AIP and globalised by the WPO, and apply to all certified organisations involved in the design of primary packaging and packaging materials.

FSSC 22000’s Role in Supporting SDG 12.3 and Food System Resilience

Kelly Mulholland, Technical Manager for Safety and Quality at FSSC, explained that the organisation recognised the role packaging plays in reducing food loss and waste, particularly through packaging design, which led to incorporating the new requirement under product design and development. 

Foundation FSSC became a member of the UN Global Compact in 2021 to align its global vision with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. 

The organisation’s certification scheme is benchmarked to the Global Food Safety Initiative and utilises ISO standards as normative documents. 

Mulholland noted that Version 6’s requirement meant more than 30,000 certified organisations were required to implement food loss and waste policies and strategies, contributing to progress on SDG 12, Responsible Consumption and Production, and specifically Target 12.3. 

With Version 7, this now extends to more than 40,000 certified organisations that are required to consider the packaging design principles to further support the reduction of food loss and waste.

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