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ISO 22000 A woman inspects food in a laboratory

ISO 22000

food safety management system

What is ISO 22000?

From farm to fork, food safety is critical for all consumers. Contamination caused by lack of hygiene or improper use of food leads to the spread of disease.

If all food supply chain operators (such as food manufacturers involved in the production, processing, storage, food preparation, storage, packaging, transportation, and operation of restaurants/cafes) have a food safety management system. Implemented throughout the entire food supply chain, this can be avoided.

ISO 22000 is a food safety management system that can be applied to any organization in the food chain from farm to fork. Obtaining ISO 22000 certification allows a company to demonstrate to its customers that it has a food safety management system in place. This makes the customer confident about the product. This issue is becoming more significant day by day because customers demand safe food and producers must be aware of the health and quality of the raw materials provided by the suppliers.

This standard combines the principles of HACCP, GHP, and GMP with elements of quality management.

The ISO 22000 standard is compatible and coordinated with other international management system standards, including ISO 9001. This standard is ideal for integration with existing management systems and processes.

Also, this standard includes the principles of HACCP and makes it an ideal basis for implementing a comprehensive and cost-effective food safety management system. ISO 22000 implementation avoids the cost of multiple audits. Food safety management systems based on ISO 22000 promote continuous improvement in processes and performance. This can help your business become more efficient. Because ISO 22000 is accepted by governments and food safety experts around the world, certification can open new business markets for you.

Unlike some other food safety management systems certification programs (e.g., FSSC 22000 and SQF), ISO 22000 does not have specific requirements for prerequisite programs (PRPs) but requires that the organization identify appropriate programs. This makes it more flexible and food organizations of all types can implement ISO 22000 and get certified.

For which organizations is ISO 22000 applicable?

ISO 22000 applies to all organizations that are directly or indirectly involved in the food supply chain. It includes all businesses in different sectors of the food industry. The implementation of the ISO 22000 standard is welcomed by businesses participating in the food chain – from production and processing, through packaging and transportation, to distribution and points of sale. This standard even includes manufacturers of packaging or detergents, suppliers of cleaning services, pest control, or industrial laundry services.

Requirements for establishing ISO 22000

The ISO 22000 standard contains specific requirements that must be addressed by the food safety management system. This standard requires food safety management system processes including:
Implementation of prerequisite programs, including effective prerequisite programs to ensure a clean and sanitary environment.
Have an overall food safety policy for your organization developed by senior management.
Set goals that will guide your company’s efforts to comply with this policy.
Planning and designing the management system and documenting the system.
Maintain records of system performance.
Create a group of qualified people to form a food safety team.
Define communication procedures to ensure effective communication with key contacts outside the company (legal, customers, suppliers, and others) and effective internal communication.
Having an emergency Hazard analysis plan and critical control plan to identify, prevent and eliminate food safety hazards.
Holding management review meetings to evaluate FSMS performance.
Provision of adequate resources for the effective operation of FSMS including trained and qualified personnel, adequate infrastructure, and a suitable work environment to ensure food safety.
Following HACCP principles,
Establishing a tracking system for product identification.
Establishment of a corrective action system and non-conforming product control.
Maintain a documented procedure for handling product departures.
Control of monitoring and measuring devices.
Establish and maintain an internal audit program.
Continuously updating and improving FSMS.

Advantages of ISO 22000 certification

This standard serves as a guideline for implementing a food safety management system, including effective processes and best practices, for food manufacturers and other interested parties. The benefits of implementing ISO 22000 are as follows:

1- Increasing the trust and satisfaction of the final consumer in your brand, through the continuous provision of safe products.

By implementing the ISO 22000 standard, improve the quality of your food safety management system and continuously meet customer expectations regarding food safety and risk control.

2- Meet applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

The ISO 22000 – Food Safety Management standard provides specific requirements for a food safety management system. This standard supports your ability to consistently deliver products and services that satisfy customers as well as legal and regulatory demands.

3- Investigate business risks by focusing on organizational goals.

ISO 22000 certification can help you reassure suppliers and stakeholders about your risk control and control risk throughout your supply chain.

4- Increase productivity and organizational efficiency.

Food safety management system certification shows your commitment to controlling food safety risks and managing the safety of your products. This means continuous improvement and customer satisfaction. These are tangible benefits that play an invaluable role in creating sustainable business performance.

5- Continually improve the FSMS based on effective feedback.

Used by organizations throughout the food chain to help deliver food that is safe to eat, ISO 22000:2018 is an excellent framework to help implement a Food Safety Management System (FSMS). It aims to aid organizations in reducing food safety risks. This is achieved by using feedback.

PDCA cycle

In addition to ISO 22000 and the resulting FSMS being easily integrated with other ISO quality management systems, the latest version of the standard (2018) also introduces the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle and risk-based thinking. By combining PDCA and risk-based thinking for business risk management with HACCP for identifying, preventing, and controlling food safety hazards, ISO 22000 helps organizations reduce exposure and improve safety.

Changes in the ISO 22000:2018 version:

An update to ISO 22000:2018 was published in June 2018, with the following changes:

Easier integration: Alignment with the Higher-Level Structure (HLS) convention is required for all newly developed or revised standards, allowing greater integration of standards. Provides different ISO. This makes it much easier to add ISO 22000:2018 to an existing ISO-based management system.

Easy to understand: A thorough review of the standard’s requirements has been carried out, providing increased clarity by redefining concepts such as PRP and OPRP for easier understanding and implementation.

Greater alignment with Codex HACCP: To ensure implementation follows Codex methodology, requirements now closely follow Codex procedures, so HACCP development is now embedded in the standard.

Easier implementation: The specific document information identified in the standard enables you to produce a set of documents that conform to ISO 22000:2018.

Clarifying PDCA: ISO 22000:2018 clarifies the application of the (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle so that organizations can ensure that processes and resources are adequately managed and opportunities for improvement are acted upon. This revision adopts two interrelated PDCA cycles, the Food Safety Management System and Production/Manufacturing Service PDCA based on the principles of the HACCP Codex.

A novel approach to risk: Traditionally, the standard only considered the risk posed by the product to the final consumer by applying the principles of the HACCP codex. In the updated revision, Codex HACCP is still required, but this will be supplemented by considering enterprise risk.

Streamlined Structure: The update allows for a more linear approach to implementation as a step-by-step process.

Food safety is concerned with the presence of foodborne hazards in food at the point of consumption. Since food safety hazards can be introduced at any stage of the food chain, adequate control throughout the food chain is essential. ISO 22000 specifies the requirements for a food safety management system that combines interactive communication, system management, prerequisite planning, and HACCP principles. This will ensure food safety throughout the food chain.