Understanding Why Audit Duration Matters

If there’s one question I hear most often from food-industry clients, it’s this:
“Why do certification bodies quote different numbers of audit days for the same company?”

Here’s the thing—audit duration isn’t random. It’s calculated. And getting it right matters because your audit cost, scheduling, and even team workload depend on it.

At QSE Academy, we’ve helped hundreds of food businesses plan their FSSC 22000 audits more efficiently by understanding exactly how man-days are determined.
In this article, you’ll learn how certification bodies calculate duration, what affects your man-days, and how to use a simple calculator to estimate your own audit time—accurately.

What Exactly Is an FSSC 22000 V6 Audit Man-Day?

Think of a man-day as one auditor working for one day—usually about eight hours of audit time.
Every certification body uses this measure to plan and price your audit.

For FSSC 22000 V6, audit duration follows international rules—mainly IAF MD 5 and the FSSC 22000 Scheme Part 2.
These documents set the baseline number of days based on your company’s employee count, process complexity, and food category.

A typical audit includes two stages:

• Stage 1: Reviewing your documentation and readiness.
• Stage 2: On-site audit to verify implementation.

Pro Tip: Always ask your certification body to break down Stage 1 vs. Stage 2 man-days.
Some bundle them together, and that’s how “surprise” extra days appear later.

Common Mistake: Many businesses assume a one-day audit means one calendar day on site. It’s not. It’s one full auditor day, so two auditors for one day equals two man-days.

How Certification Bodies Calculate Audit Man-Days

Here’s how most certification bodies determine your audit duration:

1. Start with employee count.
   The IAF MD 5 table provides a base number of audit days depending on total employees (including part-timers and temps).
2. Adjust for complexity.
   High-risk processes like UHT processing, ready-to-eat meals, or aseptic packaging usually add extra time.
3. Apply food-chain category.
   Each process type falls under a category (C – Food Processing, D – Animal Feed, E – Catering, G – Packaging, etc.).
4. Factor in multi-site operations.
   If you run several facilities, sampling rules apply—but each site still adds time.

Here’s a simple example:

Company Type	Employees	Category	Stage 2 Audit Days	Total 3-Year Cycle
Dairy Plant	120	C	3.0	6.0
Snack Manufacturer	45	D	2.0	4.0

Pro Tip: Ask your CB to share their justification notes for any audit-day adjustments—they’re required by accreditation rules.

Real Example: One of our clients, a small spice-mix producer, reduced their Stage 2 duration by half a day simply by clarifying that two of their shifts were seasonal, not permanent.

What Actually Changes Your Audit Duration

From experience, here are the biggest factors that increase or decrease man-days:

Duration Increases When:

• You have multiple product categories.
• Complex or high-risk processes (e.g., thermal processing, sterilization).
• Multiple shifts or 24-hour operations.
• Sites in different countries or languages.

Duration Decreases When:

• You combine audits with ISO 9001 or ISO 14001.
• You have strong audit history and minimal non-conformities.
• You use a centralized QMS—less time searching for records.

Pro Tip: Before requesting quotes, confirm your total full-time equivalents (FTEs) and define your scope clearly.
Common Pitfall: Under-reporting staff numbers to shorten audits—it often backfires when the CB discovers discrepancies and adds extra audit days later.

Using a Man-Day Calculator to Estimate Audit Duration

You don’t need to guess.
A Man-Day Calculator helps you estimate your total audit duration quickly and accurately.

Here’s how to use it:

1. Input basic details — number of employees, number of sites, food-chain category.
2. Select risk level — low, medium, or high, depending on your process.
3. Add integrations — ISO 9001 or ISO 22000 if applicable.
4. The calculator instantly gives you estimated Stage 1, Stage 2, and Surveillance days.

Example:
A two-site beverage company (Category C) with 80 employees typically requires about 5 man-days for Stage 2 and 2 man-days for Stage 1.

Pro Tip: Update your calculation whenever your company grows, adds new product lines, or opens a new site.
These changes directly affect your next surveillance or recertification audit duration.

How to Optimize Audit Duration Without Cutting Corners

You can’t—and shouldn’t—bargain down your audit days.
But you can make sure every hour is used efficiently.

Here’s what I recommend:

• Prepare early. Finish internal audits and management reviews before the external audit.
• Keep digital records. Auditors spend less time hunting for evidence.
• Schedule smart. Combine audits when possible (FSSC + ISO 9001).
• Train your team. The fewer misunderstandings during interviews, the faster the audit flows.

Pro Tip: Integrated audits can save up to 30% of man-days when planned properly.
One cold-storage client combined FSSC 22000, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 into one cycle and reduced total audit time by a full day—without compromising quality.

FAQs: FSSC 22000 V6 Audit Duration

Q1. What’s the minimum audit duration allowed?
Audit days can’t go below the IAF MD 5 baseline. Any reduction must be justified in writing by your certification body.

Q2. Can Stage 1 and Stage 2 be combined?
Sometimes. If your documentation and readiness are strong, a CB may allow back-to-back stages—but only with approval.

Q3. Can remote audits reduce man-days?
Partially. Some documentation review can happen remotely, but production verification must be done on-site.

Conclusion: Plan Your Audit Like a Pro

Understanding how FSSC 22000 V6 audit durations are calculated gives you control—over your budget, schedule, and overall certification timeline.
When you know the logic behind man-days, you can spot fair quotes, avoid hidden costs, and prepare your team more confidently.

At QSE Academy, we specialize in helping food businesses prepare complete documentation and optimize their FSSC 22000 audits for time and efficiency.