Food safety · Lead auditor
ISO 22000 Lead auditor
The full auditor course: how to plan, lead and report first-, second- and third-party audits of a complete management system. Usually 4–5 days (about 40 hours) with continuous assessment and an exam. The qualification most auditor job adverts ask for.
1 About this qualification
This is a lead auditor course applied to ISO 22000, the standard for food safety.
Requirements for a food safety management system for any organisation in the food chain, combining management-system elements with prerequisite programmes and hazard analysis based on HACCP principles.
2 UK courses
Course names, certification, duration and delivery as stated by each provider. We do not list prices — they change often; see the provider’s page.
| Course (as named by the provider) | Provider | Certified by | Duration | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISO/FSSC 22000 Auditor/Lead Auditor | LRQA | CQI and IRCA certified (as listed by LRQA) | Includes pre-course eLearning — see page | Course pagechecked 3 October 2026 |
| ISO 22000:2018 Lead Auditor TrainingVirtual – tutor led | NQA | Not stated | 5 days | Course pagechecked 3 October 2026 |
Certified by: CQI and IRCA certified (as listed by LRQA) (1) · Not stated (1). What the schemes mean.
3 How it is assessed
| Scheme | Typical length | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| CQI and IRCA | Approx. 40 hours — usually 5 days (some providers run 4 longer classroom days) | Continuous assessment plus an exam. CQI and IRCA’s course table describes a 2-hour written examination; some providers now use an online multiple-choice exam after the course (Batalas: 1 hour 45 minutes, within 30 days) |
| PECB | 5 days, exam on day 5 | PECB exam — the ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Auditor handbook describes 80 multiple-choice questions, open book, 70% pass mark |
| IBITGQ (GRC Solutions, ISO 27001 only) | 5 days | CIS LA exam; qualification valid for three years |
| Provider-certified (e.g. BSI for some standards) | 4–5 days | Written exam and skills assessment, as stated by the provider |
4 How to prepare
- Lead auditor: a 4-week study planFour weeks of evening study (about 5 hours a week) before a five-day lead auditor course — what to read, what to practise and how to arrive…
- ISO 22000: structure and key clausesThe clauses to know before day one.
Practice questions
- Harmonized Structure (clauses 4–10) 9 questions
- Audit findings and nonconformities 8 questions
- Certification schemes and auditor registration 9 questions
5 Other ISO 22000 qualifications
- ISO 22000 Foundation / requirements 1 courses
- ISO 22000 Internal auditor 4 courses