Last updated 4 October 2026
ISO 20001:2026 allows two routes: certification or registration by an external body, or a self-assessment or self-declaration of conformity. ISO/DIS 20020, the requirements for bodies that audit and certify food loss and waste management systems, is still a draft. Its DIS ballot opened on 28 August 2026. Before you pay for an ISO 20001 certificate in South Africa, check with SANAS and the certification body whether accredited certification is available. ISO 20001 is voluntary.
Picture an email in a QA manager’s inbox a week after ISO published ISO 20001:2026. “Get your ISO 20001 certificate this week. No site visit needed. Fixed fee.” The retailer is asking questions and a certificate would end the conversation. It would also be money wasted, because the next customer auditor who asks to see the system behind it will find nothing there.
Implementing ISO 20001:2026 Food Loss and Waste Management Systems gets a site ready for either route: it builds the system clause by clause, scores readiness on 28 items and ends with a dated plan. About 8 hours online, R1 795 until 31 December 2026, then R2 495, no VAT charged.
ISO 20001 certification: the key facts
| Routes the standard allows | Certification by an external body, or self-assessment and self-declaration |
|---|---|
| ISO/DIS 20020 | Requirements for certification bodies. DIS ballot opened 28 August 2026. Still a draft |
| ISO/AWI TS 20008 | Quantification and reporting methods. At preparatory stage |
| Accreditation | SANAS is South Africa’s national accreditation body. It accredits certification bodies against ISO/IEC 17021-1 |
| SANS adoption | None announced as at October 2026 |
| Not to be confused with | ISO/IEC 20000, IT service management |
Is ISO 20001 certification available in South Africa?
Check before you buy. ISO 20001 allows certification, but the companion standard for certification bodies, ISO/DIS 20020, is still a draft. Ask SANAS and the certification body whether accredited ISO 20001 certification is available, and ask to see the accreditation scope.
Accredited certification is a chain. SANAS accredits certification bodies against ISO/IEC 17021-1, the standard for bodies that audit and certify management systems. ISO 20020 is meant to add the requirements specific to food loss and waste. Until it is published, ask the certification body exactly what its certificate rests on. SABS is not currently a member of ISO/TC 34/SC 20, and no SANS ISO 20001 had been announced as at October 2026.
Is ISO 20001 mandatory?
No. ISO 20001 is voluntary. Section 16 of the National Environmental Management: Waste Act 59 of 2008 still requires every holder of waste to take reasonable measures to avoid, minimise, reuse, recycle and recover it before disposal.
Mandatory and expected are different things. FSSC 22000 sites must meet clause 2.5.16, and Version 7 upgrade audits from 1 May 2027 look for objectives with measurable targets and timelines. A retailer that signed the SA Food Loss and Waste Initiative has committed to a 50 percent reduction by 2030 and annual reporting. See ISO 20001 vs FSSC 22000 clause 2.5.16.
Which ISO 20001 certificate should you avoid?
Any ISO 20001 certificate issued without an audit of your site. A certificate that rests on a form and a company name is not evidence of a food loss and waste management system, and a customer auditor tests the system, not the frame.
Ask three questions before you pay. Was the site audited, and by whom? Is that body accredited with ISO 20001 in its scope? While ISO 20020 is a draft, what are its audits based on? Walk away from:
- No site visit, or a remote session with no records reviewed
- A turnaround promised in days
- “ISO approved” or “ISO accredited”. ISO publishes standards. It does not issue certificates
- No accreditation body you can verify
- A certifier offering to write your documents too
A self-declaration backed by evidence is worth more than a certificate without it.
What does getting ready for ISO 20001 cost?
Mostly management time. The direct costs are your copy of the standard, training for the people who build and audit the system, and later a certification fee if you take that route. Get any certification quote in writing.
- Training: the ASC course is R1 795 per learner until 31 December 2026, then R2 495. Five or more learners: contact ASC for a team rate.
- Time: gap assessment, policy, registers, contractor checks, internal audit, management review. The case plan runs from October 2026 to June 2027.
- Certification: ask for a written quote only once SANAS confirms accredited certification is available.
What does not being ready cost?
In the ASC course case study, a Tzaneen processor pays R494 520 a year in landfill gate fees, cannot prove where 850 t of animal feed went, and has given its largest retailer a diversion figure it cannot evidence. The case is a training scenario built from real audit patterns.
| Item | Working |
|---|---|
| Landfill gate fees | 634 t x R780 a tonne = R494 520 a year |
| Feed the site cannot prove | Site records 4 310 t sent, feedlot confirms 3 460 t: 850 t with no proven destination |
| Diversion on the scorecard | 6 084 t, less 634 t landfilled = 5 450 t = 89.58 percent |
| Diversion it can evidence | 5 450 t, less the 850 t feed gap, 318 t to a composter whose licence expired in August 2024 and 214 t to sewer with no effluent permit on file = 4 068 t = 66.86 percent |
If the retailer asks for the evidence behind 89.58 percent, the site can support 66.86 percent. That is the conversation to prepare for now. The scoring is in how to run an ISO 20001 gap assessment.
Can your site evidence the diversion figure it reports? The ISO 20001 implementation course walks contractor verification, feed controls and quantification on the case numbers. R1 795 until 31 December 2026.
What can a South African site credibly do today?
Run a scored gap assessment, fix what faces your customers and contractors, audit the system internally, take it through management review, then choose between self-declaration and certification with the facts in hand.
Meanwhile, send your customer a dated one page position statement. The basics are in ISO 20001:2026 explained.
Is ISO 20001 the same as ISO/IEC 20000?
No. ISO 20001:2026 is the food loss and waste management system standard. ISO/IEC 20000-1 is the standard for IT service management systems. The numbers are close, so check the full title on any quote or certificate.
ISO 20001 is also not ISO 22000, the food safety management system standard, although both use the Harmonized Structure.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get ISO 20001 certified in South Africa?
ISO 20001 allows certification, but ISO/DIS 20020, the requirements for bodies that certify food loss and waste management systems, is still a draft. Check with SANAS and the certification body whether accredited ISO 20001 certification is available before you pay.
Is ISO 20001 mandatory in South Africa?
No. It is a voluntary standard, and no SANS adoption had been announced as at October 2026.
How much does ISO 20001 certification cost?
There is no honest market figure yet. ISO 20020 for certification bodies is still a draft, so confirm with SANAS that accredited certification is available before you ask for quotes. Getting ready costs mainly management time, the standard and training.
What is ISO 20020?
ISO/DIS 20020 sets requirements for bodies that audit and certify food loss and waste management systems. Its DIS ballot opened on 28 August 2026 and it is still a draft.
Is ISO 20001 the same as ISO/IEC 20000?
No. ISO 20001:2026 is the food loss and waste management system standard. ISO/IEC 20000 covers IT service management.
Who accredits certification bodies in South Africa?
SANAS, the South African National Accreditation System. It accredits bodies that certify management systems against ISO/IEC 17021-1.
Where can you get ISO 20001 training in South Africa?
Implementing ISO 20001:2026 Food Loss and Waste Management Systems is an online ASC course written by a South African lead auditor for South African food sites. It ends with a scored gap assessment and a dated plan.
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 worth it before certification is settled? Yes. Both routes need the same system, and it takes months to build.
- Is the course ISO approved? No. ISO does not approve or accredit training courses, and ASC is not affiliated with ISO. You buy the standard separately.
- Will it work at my site? The requirements are generic 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.
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
- SANAS, South African National Accreditation System
- FSSC 22000 Scheme Version 7, Part 2, clause 2.5.16
- National Environmental Management: Waste Act 59 of 2008, section 16