Last updated 4 October 2026
ISO 20001:2026 is the international management system standard for food loss and waste, published by ISO on 29 September 2026. It sets requirements for any organisation in the food supply chain, of any size, to plan, run and improve a system that prevents and minimises food loss and waste in its own operations and its supply chain. It uses the same Harmonized Structure as ISO 22000. It is voluntary, and it does not replace FSSC 22000 clause 2.5.16.
Picture a technical manager at a Western Cape fruit packer. Her largest retail customer asks whether the site plans to align with ISO 20001. She runs FSSC 22000 with a clause 2.5.16 procedure, and the standard is days old. Here is what she needs to know before she replies.
Implementing ISO 20001:2026 Food Loss and Waste Management Systems takes QA and technical managers through the system clause by clause on one case study site and ends with a scored gap assessment and a dated implementation plan: about 8 hours online, Advanced Level 4, R1 795 until 31 December 2026, then R2 495.
ISO 20001:2026: the key facts
| Full title | ISO 20001:2026 Food loss and waste management system, Requirements for the prevention and minimization of food loss and waste across the food supply chain |
|---|---|
| Published | 29 September 2026. Edition 1, 37 pages |
| Who it applies to | Any organisation in the food supply chain, of any size |
| Structure | ISO Harmonized Structure, clauses 4 to 10, Plan-Do-Check-Act |
| Certification | Allowed, as is self-declaration. ISO/DIS 20020 for certification bodies is still a draft |
| In South Africa | Voluntary. No SANS adoption announced as at October 2026 |
| FSSC 22000 | Clause 2.5.16 overlaps with it. Neither satisfies the other |
What is ISO 20001:2026?
ISO 20001:2026 is the management system standard for food loss and waste. ISO’s standard page lists it as edition 1, 37 pages, published on 29 September 2026 by ISO/TC 34/SC 20, Food loss and waste.
Experts from more than 30 countries worked on it, WRAP among them. According to ISO’s abstract, the standard helps an organisation quantify, measure, monitor, document and report excess food and food loss and waste, work with interested parties along the chain, and either seek certification or self-declare conformity.
Who does ISO 20001 apply to?
Any organisation in the food supply chain, of any size. ISO’s scope names farmers, feed producers, food manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, food service, food charities and food waste management service providers.
All the requirements are generic. A cannery in Tzaneen and a food bank in Polokwane apply the same clauses. What changes is the scope, the hotspots and the evidence.
How is ISO 20001 structured?
ISO 20001 follows the ISO Harmonized Structure, the same clause frame as ISO 22000, ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. FSSC describes it as using the process approach, Plan-Do-Check-Act and risk-based thinking.
| Harmonized Structure clause | What it means for food loss and waste |
|---|---|
| 4 Context of the organization | Food loss and waste issues, interested parties from grower to food bank, the scope |
| 5 Leadership | A signed policy, top management commitment, a named system lead |
| 6 Planning | Risks, hotspots, objectives with targets, planning of changes |
| 7 Support | Scales and data, competence, awareness, communication, documented information |
| 8 Operation | Operational control, then the food loss and waste requirements after 8.1 |
| 9 Performance evaluation | Monitoring, internal audit, management review |
| 10 Improvement | Continual improvement, nonconformity and corrective action |
ASC teaches the requirements after 8.1 by topic, not by number: quantification, prevention at the hotspots, redistribution of safe surplus, animal feed, contractor verification and supply chain collaboration. Check the exact wording in your own copy. FSSC describes the hierarchy as prevention at source, then food for people through redistribution and donation, then animal feed, then uses that keep materials, nutrients or energy. In ASC’s courses, disposal comes last.
How does ISO 20001 relate to FSSC 22000 clause 2.5.16?
They overlap, but they are not the same. Clause 2.5.16 asks a certified site for a policy and objectives, controls on donated products, management of surplus meant for feed or food, and legal compliance. ISO 20001 asks for a full management system. Meeting one does not mean you meet the other.
FSSC 22000 Version 7 adds that 2.5.16 objectives need clear and measurable targets with defined timelines, and upgrade audits start on 1 May 2027. FSSC has not announced an ISO 20001 scheme. The practical route for a certified site is to extend the context register, audit programme, management review and CAPA system it already runs. The full comparison is in ISO 20001 vs FSSC 22000 clause 2.5.16.
See exactly where food loss and waste joins your FSSC 22000 registers: the ISO 20001 implementation course maps it clause by clause. R1 795 until 31 December 2026.
Can a South African site be certified to ISO 20001 yet?
ISO 20001 allows certification by an external body or a self-declaration of conformity. ISO/DIS 20020, the requirements for bodies that certify food loss and waste management systems, opened its DIS ballot on 28 August 2026 and is still a draft. Check with SANAS and the certification body before you pay for a certificate.
A certificate issued without a site audit proves nothing. A self-assessment backed by a scored gap assessment, an internal audit and a management review is a credible step today. More in ISO 20001 certification in South Africa.
Is ISO 20001 mandatory in South Africa?
No. ISO 20001 is voluntary. The duty around it is not: section 16 of the National Environmental Management: Waste Act 59 of 2008 requires every holder of waste to take reasonable measures to avoid and minimise it.
The DFFE Strategy for Reducing Food Losses and Waste 2025 to 2030 (Government Notice 6556) sets a national 30 percent reduction in food waste. The SA Food Loss and Waste Initiative asks signatories for a 50 percent reduction by 2030 and annual reporting. The CSIR estimated in 2021 that about 10.3 million tonnes of food are lost or wasted in South Africa a year.
What should a South African food site do now?
- Buy your own copy of ISO 20001:2026.
- Run a gap assessment with evidence behind every score. The method is in how to run an ISO 20001 gap assessment.
- Check the paperwork behind every destination you report: feed contractor, composter, landfill and trade effluent permit.
- Take the gap list and a dated plan to management review.
- Send customers a dated position statement. Never claim a certificate you do not hold.
In the ASC course case study, a Tzaneen processor reported 89.58 percent landfill diversion to its largest retailer and could verify 66.86 percent. Its gap assessment scored 29 out of 84. The site is a training scenario built from real audit patterns.
Frequently asked questions
What is ISO 20001?
ISO 20001:2026 is the international management system standard for food loss and waste, published by ISO on 29 September 2026. It sets requirements for any organisation in the food supply chain to prevent and minimise food loss and waste in its operations and its supply chain.
Is ISO 20001 the same as ISO 22000?
No. ISO 22000 covers food safety management and ISO 20001 covers food loss and waste management. Both use the ISO Harmonized Structure, so one integrated system can carry both.
Does ISO 20001 replace FSSC 22000 clause 2.5.16?
No. They overlap heavily, but meeting one does not mean you meet the other, and FSSC has not announced an ISO 20001 scheme.
Is ISO 20001 mandatory in South Africa?
No, it is a voluntary standard. The general duty in section 16 of the National Environmental Management: Waste Act to avoid and minimise waste applies either way.
Can we be certified to ISO 20001 in South Africa?
The standard allows certification or self-declaration. ISO/DIS 20020 for certification bodies is still a draft, so check with SANAS and the certification body before you pay for a certificate.
Do I need my own copy of ISO 20001?
Yes, before you write procedures against it. Buy it from ISO or your national standards body.
Which ASC course covers ISO 20001?
Implementing ISO 20001:2026 Food Loss and Waste Management Systems walks clauses 4 to 10 on one case study site and ends with a gap assessment and a dated plan for your next management review. The launch price ends on 31 December 2026. If you hold FSSC 22000, your Version 7 upgrade audit of clause 2.5.16 follows from 1 May 2027.
R1 795 until 31 December 2026, then R2 495. No VAT is charged, so the price shown is the price paid. Five or more learners: contact ASC for a team rate.
- 31 lessons in 8 modules, about 8 hours, on any phone
- 29 diagrams and case study packs with model answers
- A gap assessment tool that scores 28 items and exports an xlsx workbook
- A scope and interested parties builder and a clause sorting activity
- 7 knowledge checks, 6 timed games, a final assessment and one assignment marked against a published rubric
- 70 percent to pass, three attempts, and a QR verified Certificate of Achievement, Advanced Level 4
- Is it for me? Yes if you are a QA, technical or sustainability manager, an FSMS implementer, or you run a food bank.
- How long does it take? About 8 hours in short lessons. Stop and continue when the line needs you.
- Will it work at my site? The requirements are generic, the tools take your own data, and the assignment accepts your own site.
Newer to the subject? Start lower on the ASC food loss and waste training ladder with Food Loss and Waste Essentials, Measuring Food Loss and Waste or Reducing Food Loss and Waste for Sustainable Manufacturing.
Background: food loss and waste under FSSC 22000, food loss vs food waste and donating surplus food safely.
ISO 20001 is copyright and is not reproduced here. ASC is not affiliated with ISO.
Sources
- ISO 20001:2026, ISO standard page, checked 4 October 2026
- FSSC, ISO 20001 publication article, 30 September 2026
- FSSC 22000 Scheme Version 7, Part 2, clause 2.5.16
- DFFE Strategy for Reducing Food Losses and Waste 2025 to 2030, Government Notice 6556
- National Environmental Management: Waste Act 59 of 2008, section 16
- CSIR (2021), food loss and waste in South Africa