Courtesy: ISO 22000 Certification
ISO 22000 is a Food safety management system which is outcome focused, providing requirements for any organization in the food industry with objective to help to improve overall performance in food safety.
Food safety
Food safety refers to all those hazards, whether chronic or acute, that may make food injurious to the health of the consumer.
ISO 22000 standard
ISO 22000 is the most popular voluntary food safety international standard in the food industry with 42,937 sites certified (as per the ISO Survey 2021). The ISO 22000 family are international voluntary consensus standards which align to Good Standardization Practices (GSP) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) Principles for the Development of International Standards. Defining the requirements for a Food Safety Management System (FSMS) and incorporating the following elements which as defined as FSMS principles:
- interactive communication
- system management
- prerequisite programs
- HACCP principles
Critical reviews of the above elements have been conducted by many scientists. Communication along the food chain is essential to ensure that all relevant food safety hazards are identified and adequately controlled at each step within the food chain. This implies communication between organizations both upstream and downstream in the food chain. Communication with customers and suppliers about identified hazards and control measures will assist in clarifying customer and supplier requirements.
Recognition of the organization’s role and position within the food chain is essential to ensure effective interactive communication throughout the chain in order to deliver safe food products to the consumer.
ISO 22000 and HACCP
ISO 22000 has two Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycles which operate one inside the other, the first covering the management system, the second the operations (described in ISO 22000:2018, Clause 8), which simultaneously cover the HACCP principles. ISO 22000 references the Codex Alimentarius General Principles of Food Hygiene, CXC 1-1969 which includes HACCP principles and 12 HACCP application steps. The following table explains the relationship and alignment between ISO 22000 and the Codex Alimentarius General Principles of Food Hygiene, CXC 1-1969. The task, Validate the control measure(s) or combination(s) of control measures, also references Guidelines for the Validation of Food Safety Control
A study explains the importance of ISO 22000 Food Safety Management System (FSMS), Critical Control Points Hazard Analysis (HACCP) and the Prerequisite Programs (PRPs) as the foundation of HACCP, in preventing foodborne outbreaks. In addition, another study for HACCP effectiveness between ISO 22000 certified and non-certified dairy companies identified that by implementing the HACCP Food Safety System (FSS) and by being ISO 22000 certified, the level of the achievement of the HACCP objectives is improved significantly.