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Food safety is linked to the presence of food-borne hazards in food at the point of consumption. Since food safety hazards can occur at any stage in the food chain it is essential that adequate control be in place. Therefore, a combined effort of all parties through the food chain is required.

The ISO 22000 international standard specifies the requirements for a food safety management system that involves the following elements:

• interactive communication
• system management
• prerequisite programs
• HACCP principles

Crititcal 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 supplies 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 final consumer.

The most effective food safety systems are established, operated and updated within the framework of a structured management system and incorporated into the overall management activities of the organization. This provides maximum benefit for the organization and interested parties. ISO 22000 has been aligned with ISO 9001 in order to enhance the compatibility of the two standards.

ISO 22000 can be applied independently of other management system standards or integrated with existing management system requirements.

ISO 22000 integrates the principles of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system and application steps developed by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. By means of auditable requirements, it combines the HACCP plan with prerequisite programmes. Hazard analysis is the key to an effective food safety management system, since conducting a hazard analysis assists in organizing the knowledge required to establish an effective combination of control measures. ISO 22000 requires that all hazards that may be reasonably expected to occur in the food chain, including hazards that may be associated with the type of process and facilities used, are identified and assessed. Thus it provides the means to determine and document why certain identified hazards need to be controlled by a particular organization and why others need not.

During hazard analysis, the organization determines the strategy to be used to ensure hazard control by combining the prerequisite programmes and the HACCP plan.

WHAT IS HACCP ?

• Faced with the risk of large-scale toxic infection, the latest food crises, the increased life span of products and the lengthening of the food chain, hypermarkets, supermarkets and certain countries have developed private sector schemes (IFS for the French and Germans, BRC for the British…) based on the HACCP method to guarantee the safety of their own-brand products.
• But questions soon arose regarding harmonisation via an internationally recognised standard framework that would allow everyone in the food chain, and not just those in the food processing sector, to offer consumers safe products.
• After three years’ work, ISO published a universal reference framework in September 2005: the ISO 22000 standard, the result of consensus between 45 countries.
• By integrating the HACCP procedure into management systems that companies are familiar with, the ISO 22000 standard does not come as a shock to the system.
• Its proximity to the ISO 9001 standard also makes it easy to implement. A few months after the standard came out, the firstcom panies in the food processing sector were displaying their ISO 22000 certification. “A legitimate way for them to have their food safety management approach recognised”, said Eric Le Gal, food and mass distribution markets manager at AFNOR Certification.

BENEFITS OF ISO 22000

• Systematic identification and management of food safety hazards.
• Greater confidence for safety of food and related products served and delivered.
• Food safety assurance in food chain

ISO 22000 FOR WHOM?

Organizations in food chain, as under:

• Primary procedures (Agriculture, Aquaculture, Horticulture, Dairy etc.)
• Food processors and manufactures
• Retailers, storage facilities and transporters.
• Hospitality sector – Hotels, Restaurants, Catering institutes
• Service providers to food establishments ie; pest control, stewarding, cleaning etc.

FSSC 22000

The Foundation for Food Safety Certification (FSSC)  was founded in 2004. The Foundation developed FSSC 22000, the ISO 22000 and PAS 220 based certification scheme for certification of food manufacturers. This development is supported by the Confederation of the Food and Drink Industries of the European Union (CIAA). The scheme is recognised by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI)

The Foundation also legally owns the GFSI approved HACCP food safety systems certification scheme. As a nonprofit organization the Foundation facilitates and owns the scheme and manages its copyright with license agreements. The actual responsibility and authority for the content of the scheme and the delivered certification audits is the Board of Stakeholders, represented by the relevant stakeholders of the food supply chain. Furthermore the Foundation facilitates the NTWG GlobalGap.

Besides the copyright management the Foundation also:

• focuses on the international compliance and adaptability of Food Safety Standards
• focuses on the development and maintenance of certification and inspection systems for Food Safety
• promotes the international use of these Food Safety systems
• provides services to support the certification of Food Safety systems
• provides information on Food Safety issues