The Importance of ISO 22000, More than just a
quality management system for the food industry, ISO 22000 incorporates HACCP
and other preventive plans that ensure food safety. There is an international
standard that is intended to be used within the food industry called ISO 22000. It allows organizations to understand what traditional
quality assurance and preventive food
safety measures should be implemented within their industry. ISO 22000 is the
international standard today and is benefiting businesses in many ways.
Companies that develop their products by following these rules and
specifications are increasingly free to compete within many markets around the
world. For trade officials, ISO 22000 levels the playing field within regional
and global markets. This is due to technically refined international standards
and placement of political agreements, and, when followed, they create
successful practices that ensure the highest quality of food and safety. ISO
22000 is an international standard intended to be used by organizations within
the food chain. It contains traditional quality assurance preventive measures
plus preventive food-safety measures. The purpose of ISO 22000 is to provide a
practical approach to ensure the reduction and elimination of food safety risks
as a means to protect consumers. ISO 22000 is intended to help organizations:
• Embed
and improve the internal processes needed to provide consistently safe food
• Provide
confidence to the organization and the management team that the organization’s
practices and procedures are in place and that they are effective and robust
• Provide
confidence to customers and other stakeholders (through the ISO 22000
certification process) that the organization has the ability to control food
safety hazards and provide safe products
• Provide
a means of continual improvement that ensures that the food safety management
system is reviewed and updated so that all activities related to food safety
are continually optimized and effective
• Ensure
adequate control at all stages of the food supply chain to prevent the
introduction of food safety hazards
For a successful implementation of ISO 22000
you will need to create a clear project plan including the identification of
responsibilities, tasks, and an associated timeline. Wherever possible, make
use of what you are currently doing related to quality or food safety. It
doesn’t make sense to change something that’s working. You will need to
communicate the purpose and benefits of ISO 22000 to employees. Be prepared to
overcome the arguments, which are the same arguments encountered by any
standards implementation: There’s too much paper, there’s too much complexity,
it’s not appropriate for a small business, and/or the bar is set too high for
the organization. Educate people on the technical aspects of ISO 22000 (i.e.,
auditing, creation of effective documents, food safety specific tasks, biological
contamination, etc.).
User questions & answers