Food Safety Management : ISO 22000

ISO 22000: Introduction

ISO 22000 is a food safety standard that helps ensure food products’ safety. Food can be contaminated with substances such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites. These contaminations can result in illnesses or death if not removed from the food supply chain. ISO 22000 provides guidelines on preventing contamination before it occurs and what to do after it has happened. The standards are divided into two parts: HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points), which deals with preventing contamination, and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices), which ensures a safe product once contamination has occurred.

Elements of International Standard Organization ISO 22000

Scope:
The scope of the international standard ISO 22000 is to provide a framework for an effective food safety management system. This framework provides standards and guidelines that organizations can use in all sectors of the food chain, from primary production right through to final consumption. The requirements of this international standard apply to all types and sizes of organizations at any point in the process between farm and fork.

ISO 22000 is based on the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system, proven to be an effective means of managing food safety hazards. The standard provides a comprehensive set of requirements that organizations can assess and control food safety risks. It also includes guidance on how to implement a food safety management system.

Terms and Definitions:

ISO 22000 is a management system for food safety. To implement ISO 22000, you will need to know the following terms and definitions:

• Food Safety Management System – A set of procedures that includes HACCP principles and guidelines for managing risks at all stages in the production process.
• Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) – The analysis of potential hazards and their control points; identifies critical control points where it is essential to prevent or eliminate risk to produce safe food.
• Prerequisite Program Activities – Activities such as product specification, design controls, supplier approval, equipment evaluation, etc., are required before implementation of HACCPSM.
• Product Specification – The description of a product, including its quality and safety characteristics.
• Design Controls – The controls used to ensure that products are designed safely, such as written procedures and specifications.
• Supplier Approval – The process of checking that suppliers meet the requirements for supplying safe Food.
• Equipment Evaluation – A systematic examination of equipment to identify any potential.

Food Safety Management System:

The ISO 22000 is a standard that guides how to meet food safety requirements. A Food Safety Management System (FSMS) is a documented set of activities, procedures, and records used by an organization to manage its food safety. It includes four parts:

• Policy.
• Planning.
• Implementation.
• Operation and Maintenance.

Management’s Responsibility in ISO standard 22000:

Management is responsible for the overall effectiveness of the food safety management system. The role of management in ISO Standard 22000 can be summarized as follows:

• Management establishes and communicates the policies that are essential to achieving an effective food safety management system.
• Management creates a culture that supports continual improvement in the delivery of safe products.
• Management ensures that personnel with appropriate skills are employed who have responsibility for managing each critical control point.
• Management checks on progress towards achieving targets so adjustments can be made where necessary.

Resource Management:

Resource management is a system that helps organizations get the most out of their resources. In ISO Standard 22000, there are four critical elements to resource management:

• The identification and prioritization of needs for new or improved resources.
• Formulating plans for acquiring or developing needed resources.
• Developing strategies for managing existing resources so they can be used more effectively.
• Monitoring progress in achieving desired results.

Resource management is a critical part of any quality control system. But unfortunately, every organization has limited financial, physical, or human resources. And while some organizations might focus more on managing people than others do, it’s important to remember that all four elements must be considered for the entire organization to improve its processes.

Planning and implementation of safe products:

The ISO 22000 standard is a food safety management system. It provides guidance and requirements for an organization to manage its food safety risks minimizing the occurrence of illness or injury due to the consumption of contaminated food. The standard comprises six major components:

• Policy.
• Goal.
• Objectives.
• Product Identification and Evaluation.
• Corrective Actions and Preventive Measures.
• Monitoring Program.

The standard also requires the use of a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plan.
The policy component establishes the organization’s commitment to food safety and sets out general requirements for implementing the food safety management system. The goal is to protect consumers from unsafe Food while maintaining continuity of supply.

Recognize, Verify and Optimize Your Food Safety Management System.

The ISO 22000 standard ensures that food safety management systems are recognized, verified, and optimized.
Recognition is the process of getting your organization’s Management System accredited by an accreditation body with a scope of competence for food safety management systems.
Verification is an assessment carried out to confirm the accuracy and effectiveness of the critical features in a Food Safety Management System against requirements specified in ISO 22000.
Optimization is about continuous improvement concerning quality, efficiency, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.

ISO 22000 Implementation?

• Have procedures and processes in place so that when there is a change in ingredients or suppliers, they can be communicated quickly and efficiently.
• Ensure everyone has access to information about emergency response plans to know how to react if something goes wrong.
• Identify your requirements – What level of risk do you need to mitigate?
• Determine what kind of system will work best for your organization – Do you want an integrated or modular approach?
• Create a working group.
• Develop an implementation plan.
• Ensure all employees receive training on food safety and the importance of adhering to this standard.

Benefits of ISO 22000 Certification

It’s a food safety management system certification that ensures your business follows the best practices to produce safe and high-quality products. Getting this certificate has many benefits, including:

• Ensures higher production quality.
• Reduces risk of product recalls due to potentially dangerous ingredients.
• Provides an edge over competitors with poorer quality standards.