Lead Auditor ISO 22000 Food Safety Management Systems

A complete course to build audit leadership skills and ISO 22000 food safety expertise

ISO 22000:2018 is the internationally recognised standard for food safety management systems (FSMS). It provides a clear framework for identifying, controlling and continually improving food safety risks across every part of the supply chain, from production and processing to packaging and distribution.

Understanding how to apply and assess ISO 22000 is essential if you are working within a certified business, preparing for certification, or looking to strengthen food safety systems that stand up to real‑world audits.

This course combines two core areas of professional auditing:

1. Leading management system audits — building your ability to plan, conduct and report audits while guiding an audit team.
2. ISO 22000:2018 food safety specialisation — gaining detailed knowledge of food safety management systems, hazards, controls and conformance requirements.

By combining these skills in one streamlined course, you develop both the technical knowledge and the leadership capabilities to audit food safety management systems confidently across industries. This is valuable whether you are conducting internal audits for continual improvement or external audits for certification.

ℹ️ To see the full structure of every lesson and module included in this course, click on the Modules tab above.

Who is the Lead Auditor FSMS course for?

Build lead auditor and ISO 22000 expertise for your food safety role

This course is ideal for professionals who need to lead audits of food safety management systems. It is suited to:

• Food safety, quality and compliance managers
• Internal auditors moving into lead roles
• Consultants supporting businesses through certification audits
• Professionals preparing for contract work with Certification Bodies (CBs) or Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs)
• HACCP team members who want to build auditing skills
• Anyone wanting to understand and evaluate ISO 22000 requirements in depth

You do not need prior lead auditor experience. The course guides you through both areas step by step.

What you will learn in this ISO 22000 lead auditor course

Key skills and knowledge to lead audits of food safety management systems

From the lead auditor unit:

• How to plan, conduct and lead management system audits
• How to manage audit teams and communicate effectively
• How to gather audit evidence, assess systems and write professional reports
• How to document nonconformances and guide corrective action processes

From the ISO 22000 food safety unit:

• How to interpret and apply ISO 22000:2018 requirements
• How to identify food safety hazards and control measures
• How PRPs, OPRPs and CCPs work within a food safety management system
• How to evaluate FSMS performance and conformance in real‑world settings

Click on the Modules tab above for a full breakdown of units and lessons.

What you will be able to do on completion

Apply your lead auditor and ISO 22000 skills in real audit work

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Promote yourself as a lead auditor with ISO 22000 food safety expertise
• Apply your auditing knowledge across industries and system types
• Lead internal or external audits of food safety management systems
• Assess an organisation’s FSMS against ISO 22000 requirements
• Guide an audit team through planning, execution and reporting
• Write clear, objective audit findings and document nonconformances
• Support certification audits when paired with relevant technical requirements
• Demonstrate your capability with separate and combined digital credentials

What is included in this combined course

Lead auditor and ISO 22000 learning with multiple digital credentials

• Integrated access to both lead auditor and ISO 22000 food safety specialist content
• Ongoing access¹ to all modules and updates
• Knowledge checks, templates and real‑world examples throughout
• Trainer support and feedback if needed
• Access to the ATOL Advantage community for continued learning
• A digital credential for the lead auditor component
• A digital credential for the ISO 22000 food safety component
• A combined digital credential recognising your ability to lead audits of ISO 22000 food safety management systems

¹ Enrolment includes 12 months of access to the course content from the commencement date. After this initial 12‑month period, ongoing access is available through an active monthly or annual subscription, for as long as the current revision of the course or standard remains active. If a subscription lapses, it may be renewed at any time to regain access, provided that revision of the course or standard is still offered. Ongoing access beyond the included 12 months is dependent on maintaining an active subscription.