ISO 22000 is an international standard that defines the requirements of a food safety management
system covering all organizations in the food chain from "farm to fork".
The standard combines generally recognized key elements to ensure food safety along the food chain,
including:
Interactive communication
System management
Control of food safety hazards through pre-requisite programmes and ISO 22000 plans Continual
improvement and updating of the food safety management system ISO 22000 provides businesses with
a cost effective system for control of food safety, from ingredients right through to production,
storage
and distribution to sale and service of the final consumer. The preventive approach of ISO 22000 not
only improves food safety management but also complements other quality management systems. Food
safety management systems built in accordance with the principles of ISO 22000 have a clearly
defined
structure.
Process Based System: Business will benefit from a clear definition of processes
and procedures.
Effective communication and continual process improvement are the cornerstones of a functioning
management system. Customer and Consumer Confidence: A controlled food operating environment
and effectively implemented and applied food safety system will improve customer and consumer
confidence in the safety of food.
Risk Management: It uses a systematic approach covering all aspects of food
production from raw
materials, processing, distribution, point of sale to consumption and beyond. It moves a company
from a
solely retrospective end product testing and sampling approach towards a preventative approach that
is
designed to reduce product losses and liabilities.
Management Responsibility: It enables management throughout a business to demonstrate their
commitment to the production and supply of safe products and within facility environments that are
favorable for the production or supply of safe food.
Relationship Improvement: To enhance the relationships between organizations in the food
chain,
customers and enforcement agencies.
Records: Record-keeping enables a more efficient and effective government and customer
oversight,
and allows investigators to see how well a firm is complying with food safety laws over a period of
time
rather than how well it is doing on any given day. The documentation within a food safety system
facilitates the inspection activities of food inspectors.
Legal Protection: It has been widely accepted that ISO 22000 based systems present the food
industry
with the most effective management tool to enable the production and supply of safe food. As such,
the
adoption of this approach can offer a legal defence in the event of an outbreak of food borne
diseases.
Trading Benefit: HACCP based approaches are a benefit to companies seeking to meet customer
and
legal requirements whether in the domestic or for the export market.
Alignment with other management systems: ISO 22000 based food safety management systems can be
combined with other management systems such as ISO 9001:2015. This combination provides a hazard
analysis approach with pre-requisite programmes along with a framework to manage a food safety
system.