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". Increasing consumer demand for safe food has led many companies to develop food quality management systems and food safety management systems. ISO 22000 Certification creates a harmonized food safety standard that is accepted the world over. It speeds and simplifies processes without compromising other quality or safety management systems and can be used by all organizations in the supply chain, from farming to food services, to processing, transportation and storage, through to packaging and retail. Who is it relevant to? ISO 22000 is a truly international standard suitable for any business in the entire food chain, including inter-related organizations such as producers of food grains, food processors, food warehouses, food processing equipments, food packaging materials, food cleaning agents, food additives and food ingredients. Benefits Certifying food management system against the requirements of ISO 22000 will bring the following benefits to organizations:
- Applicable to all organizations in the global food supply chain
- A truly global international standard
- Provides potential for harmonization of national standards
- Covers the majority of the requirements of the current retailer food safety standards
- Complies with the Codex HACCP principles
- Provides communication of HACCP concepts internationally
- An auditable standard with clear requirements which provides a framework for third-party certification Suitable for regulators
- The structure aligns with the management system clauses of ISO 9001 and ISO 14001
- Enables communication about hazards with partners in the supply chain
More specific benefits include:
- System approach, rather than product approach
- Resource optimization - internally and along the food chain
- All control measures are subjected to hazard analysis
- Better planning - less post process verification
- Improved documentation
- Systematic management of prerequisite programmes
- Increased due diligence
- Dynamic communication on food safety issues with suppliers, customers, regulators and other interested parties
- A systematic and proactive approach to identification of food safety hazards and development and implementation of control measures
