ISO 22000

(Food safety management)

Whatever their size, or product, all food producers have a responsibility to manage the safety of their products and the well-being of their consumers. That’s why ISO 22000 exists.The consequences of unsafe food can be serious.

ISO’s food safety management standards help organizations identify and control food safety hazards, at the same time as working together with other ISO management standards, such as ISO 9001. Applicable to all types of producer, ISO 22000 provides a layer of reassurance within the global food supply chain, helping products cross borders and bringing people food that they can trust.

Why ISO 22000?

ISO 22000 sets out the requirements for a food safety management system and can be certified to it. It maps out what an organization needs to do to demonstrate its ability to control food safety hazards in order to ensure that food is safe. It can be used by any organization regardless of its size or position in the food chain

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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 communicationsystem managementprerequisite programs HACCP principlesCritical 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 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, 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 Measures, CXG 69-2008.