NIS2 for the food processing industry
Food processing companies typically fall under NIS2 as essential or important entities. OT systems such as filling machines, CIP installations and cold storage systems require cybersecurity measures compatible with 24/7 production.
Does your company fall under NIS2?
The size of your organisation determines whether you fall under essential entities (Annex I) or important entities (Annex II). Food processing companies typically fall under the food production or manufacturing sectors.
Essential entities (Annex I)
Food producers falling under NIS2 food production sectors with ≥250 employees or >€50M turnover. Strictest requirements: 24-hour notification obligation, full governance required.
Important entities (Annex II)
Mid-sized food processors with ≥50 employees or >€10M turnover. Requirements are comparable but supervision is reactive: you report only after an incident.
OT systems that fall under NIS2
What matters most for food processing
24/7 production continuity
Food processors cannot shut down installations for hours for security maintenance. NIS2 requires measures that work during production: passive OT monitoring, out-of-band patch management and redundant controllers.
Food-grade supply chain security
Component suppliers for food machines fall under NIS2 art. 21(2)(d). Your supply chain must be demonstrably secure, also for components without an IT component.
HACCP and NIS2 combined
Food processors already have HACCP processes for risk management and traceability. NIS2 documentation requirements align directly with these: one compliance process, two frameworks covered.
Three steps to NIS2 compliance
OT inventory and scope determination
Map all OT systems in the production environment: PLC models, firmware versions, communication protocols and network topology. Basis for the NIS2 risk analysis.
Production floor network segmentation
Floor network strictly separated from ERP/MES network via firewall with DMZ. CIP and recipe servers on dedicated VLAN with role-based access.
IEC 62443 gap analysis
Assessment of your OT environment against IEC 62443 security levels (SL-T). Result: prioritised measures aligned with your production schedule.
The technical standard our NIS2 approach is based on. Zoning, conduit model and security levels per machine group.
Replacing ageing controllers without production downtime. PLC migration and NIS2 compliance in one project.
Start your NIS2 assessment for food processing
A gap analysis starts with a technical intake specific to your production environment and OT landscape.