Food Safety Certification

HACCP

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) certification is synonymous with food safety. HACCP is a food safety risk management system that addresses biological, chemical and physical hazards through anticipation and prevention rather than by a finished product inspection. The Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), or Good Hygiene Practice (GHP), or Good Agriculture Practice (GAP) certifications are required prerequisites for an effective HACCP system.

HACCP is compatible with management systems, such as Total Quality Management (TQM) and ISO 9001, among others. HACCP certification is recognized worldwide by government food authorities and food businesses.

ISO 22000:2005

Food safety management systems - Requirements for any organization in the food chain, provides a framework of internationally harmonized requirements for the global approach that is needed. The standard has been developed within ISO by experts from the food industry, along with representatives of specialized international organizations and in close cooperation with the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the body jointly established by the United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) to develop food standard.

ISO 22000 is designed to allow all types of organization within the food chain to implement a food safety management system. These range from feed producers, primary producers, food manufacturers, transport and storage operators and subcontractors to retail and food service outlets – together with related organizations such as producers of equipment, packaging material, cleaning agents, additives and ingredients.

The standard has become necessary because of the significant increase of illnesses caused by infected food in both developed and developing countries. In addition to the health hazards, food-borne illnesses can give rise to considerable economic costs covering medical treatment, absence from work, insurance payments and legal compensation.

Developed with the participation of food sector experts, ISO 22000 incorporates the principles of HACCP, and covers the requirements of key standards developed by various global food retailer syndicates, in a single document.

Another benefit of ISO 22000 is that it extends the successful management system approach of the ISO 9001:2000 quality management system standard which is widely implemented in all sectors but does not itself specifically address food safety. The development of ISO 22000 was based on the assumption that the most effective food safety systems are designed, operated and continually improved within the framework of a structured management system, and incorporated into the overall management activities of the organization.

It is designed to be fully compatible with ISO 9001:2000 and companies already certified to ISO 9001 will find it easy to extend this to certification to ISO 22000. To help users to do so, ISO 22000 includes a table showing the correspondence of its requirements with those of ISO 9001:2000.