FOOD SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (ISO 22000)
What is Food Safety Management Systems (ISO 22000)?
ISO 22000 is an international standard that defines the requirements for Food Safety Management Systems. The increase in consumer demand for safe food has led the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to develop the ISO 22000 standard. The purpose of the standard is to ensure that any organization working within the food chain establishes management systems that ensure food is safe. It applies to all organizations in the food chain.
ISO 22000 is designed to provide a framework of internationally harmonized requirements for the global food industry. It allows every type of organization in the supply chain – from primary producers to food processors, storage and transportation companies, retail and food service outlets, and even makers of equipment used in food processing – to implement a Food Safety Management Systems.
The standard builds on generally accepted principles for food safety in the food chain and focuses on identifying and preventing food safety hazards through PRPs (Pre-Requisite Programs) and HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) plans. It promotes communication, continual improvement and updating of the Food Safety Management Systems.
The benefit of ISO 22000 is that it extends the successful management system approach of the ISO 9001 quality management system standard which is widely implemented in all sectors but does not itself specifically address food safety. The development of ISO 22000 was based on the assumption that the most effective food safety systems are designed, operated and continually improved within the framework of a structured management system, and incorporated into the overall management activities of the organization.
Benefit of Food Safety Management Systems
Benefits of implementing Food Safety Management Systems include:
ISO 22000 is an international standard that defines the requirements for Food Safety Management Systems. The increase in consumer demand for safe food has led the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to develop the ISO 22000 standard. The purpose of the standard is to ensure that any organization working within the food chain establishes management systems that ensure food is safe. It applies to all organizations in the food chain.
ISO 22000 is designed to provide a framework of internationally harmonized requirements for the global food industry. It allows every type of organization in the supply chain – from primary producers to food processors, storage and transportation companies, retail and food service outlets, and even makers of equipment used in food processing – to implement a Food Safety Management Systems.
The standard builds on generally accepted principles for food safety in the food chain and focuses on identifying and preventing food safety hazards through PRPs (Pre-Requisite Programs) and HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) plans. It promotes communication, continual improvement and updating of the Food Safety Management Systems.
The benefit of ISO 22000 is that it extends the successful management system approach of the ISO 9001 quality management system standard which is widely implemented in all sectors but does not itself specifically address food safety. The development of ISO 22000 was based on the assumption that the most effective food safety systems are designed, operated and continually improved within the framework of a structured management system, and incorporated into the overall management activities of the organization.
Benefit of Food Safety Management Systems
Benefits of implementing Food Safety Management Systems include:
- To plan, implement, operate, maintain and update a Food Safety Management Systems aimed at providing products according to their intended use and safe for the consumer.
- To demonstrate compliance with applicable statutory and regulatory food safety requirements.
- To effectively communicate food safety issues to their suppliers, customers and relevant interested parties in the food chain.
- To ensure that the organization conforms to its stated food safety policy.
- Clearer, more visible and widely understood reporting relationships, document control mechanisms, records control mechanisms and staff development processes.
- A control measure validation approach which gives confidence in the food safety controls implemented.
- Continuous improvement of an organization’s Food Safety Management Systems
- Allows organization within the food chain to demonstrate their commitment to food safety.
- It is designed to be fully compatible with ISO 9001 and companies already certified to ISO 9001 will find it easy to extend this to certification to ISO 22000.