The Path of Certification: From International Organizations to the Company

It is commonly believed that certification depends only on the auditor or the certification body (CB).

Names like SGS, TÜV, DNV, or Bureau Veritas are usually the most visible. Organizations that audit companies implementing management systems or food safety standards.

But in reality, there is a much broader international structure that ensures trust in a certificate.

When a company obtains an ISO, FSSC, or BRCGS certification, few people ask: Where does this certificate get its value from?

The answer lies in what we could call the certification pyramid.

The Certification Pyramid

At the base are the certified companies, the companies where we, as QA professionals, work implementing management systems or food safety standards such as ISO 22000, FSSC, BRCGS, SQF, and others.

Above them are the Certification Bodies (CBs), such as SGS, DNV, Bureau Veritas, Kiwa, LRQA, or TÜV, which perform the audits and issue the certificates.

But these organizations do not operate alone.

They are evaluated and authorized by the Accreditation Bodies of each country, such as:

• RvA (Netherlands)

• UKAS (United Kingdom)

• ANAB (United States)

• DAkkS (Germany)

• EMA (Mexico)

• ENAC (Spain)

  
  

These bodies verify that certification bodies are technically competent, impartial, and reliable.

In essence, it is a process similar to what companies experience when they become certified  but at the accreditation level.

At an even higher level, there are international organizations such as:

• IAF (International Accreditation Forum)

• ISO (International Organization for Standardization)

• GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative)  in the case of industry recognized food safety schemes

  
  

They establish global rules that allow a certificate to have international recognition.

Certification of Professionals: Another Layer of the System

A less known element is that there are also organizations that certify professionals, including auditors.

Examples include:

• PECB

• CQI IRCA

• Exemplar Global

  
  

This adds another layer of trust: not only companies are certified, but the competence of those performing the audits is also validated. This operates as an additional and independent extension to ensure full transparency and confidence in the auditors working for certification bodies.

More Than a Piece of Paper with a CB Name

Certification is not simply an annual visit or a document on the wall.

It is part of a global system designed to create trust between companies, customers, authorities, and consumers.

However, there is something important: The credibility of a certificate does not depend only on the system. It also depends on the maturity and genuine commitment of the organization implementing it.

Final Reflection

A certificate does not have value because of the paper itself.

It has value because of the international trust that supports it, and because of the integrity with which a company chooses to live quality it every day.