Templates and records · FSSC 22000 · Clause 2.5.4
Food fraud vulnerability assessment
Which raw materials could arrive adulterated or substituted for economic gain, and what is done to detect or prevent it.
In one sentence
The FSSC 22000 food fraud vulnerability assessment analyses each raw material, ingredient, packaging material and product against the risk of adulteration, substitution or counterfeiting for economic gain, and sets a mitigation plan with proportionate controls, as the additional requirements in clause 2.5.4 of the scheme require.
- Where the standard requires it
- FSSC 22000 · Clause 2.5.4 Clauses beginning with 2.5 are additional requirements in Part 2 of FSSC 22000 Version 6; those of ISO 22000:2018 are explained in their own templates.
- Type of information
- Mandatory record Documented assessment and plan (FSSC 22000 v6, 2.5.4)
- Who fills it in
- Food safety team with purchasing Using information from sector alerts and from suppliers
- When
- At implementation and periodically At least annually and in response to alerts, changes of supplier or unusual prices
- How long it is kept
- Set by the organisation ISO 22000 requires documented information to be retained without setting a period. It is sensible to cover the shelf life of the product with a margin, the applicable law and the three-year certification cycle.
What the standard requires
What FSSC 22000 demands and what it leaves to your judgement
FSSC requires a documented food fraud vulnerability assessment that identifies and prioritises potential vulnerabilities, and a mitigation plan with measures against the significant ones. It must cover the products and purchased materials within scope.
The usual factors are the raw material's fraud history, its economic value, the complexity of the supply chain, how easy it is to adulterate and the ability to detect it.
The plan is integrated into the system: it is verified, reviewed in response to alerts and staff are trained on it.
Structure
Fields the template should include
- Raw material, ingredient or packaging
- Possible type of fraud: substitution, dilution, false origin
- Factors: history, value, supply chain, detection
- Vulnerability level
- Mitigation measures
- Authenticity testing and frequency
- Information sources consulted
- Review date
Example
Example: olive oil at a fictitious sauce plant
Company, people and figures are fictitious: the example only shows what a properly completed record looks like.
| Field | Content |
|---|---|
| Raw material | Extra virgin olive oil |
| Possible fraud | Blending with lower-grade or seed oils |
| Factors | High fraud history · high and volatile price · supply chain with intermediaries |
| Vulnerability | High |
| Measures | Direct purchase from an approved mill · certificate per batch · six-monthly authenticity test |
| Testing 2026 | 2 tests at an external laboratory · conforming |
| Review | February 2026 · next in February 2027 or in response to an alert |
At the audit
Mistakes auditors commonly flag
- An assessment limited to two or three "well-known" raw materials.
- Packaging and auxiliary materials left out of scope.
- It is mixed up with the food defense assessment.
- No information sources on recent frauds.
- Measures that do not change even when vulnerability is high.
In Kimobox
How this record is kept in Kimobox
- 1Each raw material carries its assessment alongside the supplier approval in the portal.
- 2Authenticity certificates and test results are attached to the batch and tracked for expiry.
- 3The periodic review is scheduled with a reminder and the measures are tracked as actions.
- 4A change of supplier for a vulnerable raw material opens a review of its assessment.
Frequently asked questions
What people ask us before getting started
What is VACCP?
A vulnerability assessment method often used for food fraud. FSSC does not impose a method, but it requires the assessment to be systematic and documented.
Do all raw materials need to be tested?
All of them must be assessed; authenticity testing is reserved for those found to be vulnerable, at a proportionate frequency.
Where can information on fraud be found?
In official and sector alerts, incident databases, information from trade associations and from the suppliers themselves.
Keep your FSSC 22000 records without loose templates
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Sources
Where each figure comes from
References to the official text in force. If a standard is revised, this page is updated and the review date says so.
- FSSC 22000 Version 6 — Scheme requirements (Part 2, additional requirements) Foundation FSSC · Published 31 March 2023
- ISO 22000:2018 — Food safety management systems ISO · 2018 ed.