Updated ISO Food Safety Management Systems Standard Released
The new standard offers a dynamic control of food safety hazards combining the following generally recognized key elements: interactive communication, systems management, Prerequisite Programs (PRPs), and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) principles.
ISO 22000:2018, an ISO standard on food safety management systems, has been released. With more than 200 diseases spread through the food chain, clearly safe, sustainable food production is one of our greatest challenges, according to ISO, noting that globalization of the food trade further complicates food safety. The new edition of ISO 22000 will help organizations meet the challenges.
Every company in the food supply chain must exercise adequate hazard controls, which means that food safety depends on the combined efforts of all parties: governments, producers, retailers, and consumers.
The new edition is intended for use by all organizations in the food and feed industries, regardless of size or sector. ISO 22000:2018, Food safety management systems – Requirements for any organization in the food chain, translates food safety management into a continuously improving process. It takes a precautionary approach to food safety by helping to identify, prevent, and reduce foodborne hazards in the food and feed chains. The new edition's improvements include:
- Adoption of the High-Level Structure common to all ISO management system standards, making it easier for organizations to combine ISO 22000 with other management systems (such as ISO 9001 or ISO 14001) at a given time
- A new approach to risk as a vital concept in the food business, which distinguishes between risk at the operational level and the business level of the management system
- Strong links to the Codex Alimentarius, a United Nations food group that develops food safety guidelines for governments
The new standard offers a dynamic control of food safety hazards combining the following generally recognized key elements: interactive communication, systems management, Prerequisite Programs (PRPs), and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) principles.
"To meet the market needs for food safety, ISO 22000 is created by stakeholders who are involved in food safety organizations: governance, consumers, consulting, industry, and research. When a food safety management system is developed by the users of ISO 22000, you make sure that requirements from the market are met," said Jacob Faergemand, chair of technical committee ISO/TC 34, Food products, subcommittee 17, Management systems for food safety, that developed the standard.
ISO 22000:2018 cancels and replaces ISO 22000:2005. Organizations certified to the standard have three years from the date of publication to transition to the new version.