Easily obtain ISO 22000:2018 – Food safety management systems certificate

What is the ISO 22000:2018 Food Safety Management System?

ISO 22000:2018 is an internationally recognized standard designed to ensure food safety throughout the food supply chain.

It provides a framework for businesses in the food industry to identify, control, and prevent food safety risks throughout the entire food chain, from farm to fork.

It specifies the requirements for a Food Safety Management System (FSMS), combining elements of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), and effective communication along the food chain. The standard focuses on identifying, preventing, and reducing foodborne hazards, ensuring that food is safe for consumption. Organizations adopting ISO 22000:2018 must implement and maintain effective processes to manage food safety hazards, continually improve their FSMS, and comply with statutory and regulatory food safety requirements.

What are the key principles of quality management outlined in the ISO 22000:2018 Food Safety Management System?

• Interactive Communication: Ensuring effective communication across the entire food chain to manage food safety hazards.
• System Management: Integrating food safety into the organization's overall management system for consistency and efficiency.
• Customer Focus: Understanding and meeting customer requirements to enhance satisfaction and ensure food safety.
• Leadership: Establishing a unified direction and creating an environment that supports achieving food safety objectives.
• Process Approach: Managing activities and resources as processes to achieve desired results efficiently.
• Engagement of People: Involving and empowering employees at all levels to enhance their ability to contribute to food safety.
• Improvement: Continuously improving the FSMS to ensure its ongoing suitability, adequacy, and effectiveness.
• Evidence-Based Decision Making: Basing decisions on the analysis and evaluation of data to achieve accurate and reliable results.
• Relationship Management: Managing relationships with stakeholders, including suppliers and customers, to optimize their impact on food safety performance.
• Prerequisite Programs (PRPs): Establishing basic conditions and activities necessary to maintain a hygienic environment throughout the food chain.
• Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP): Identifying, evaluating, and controlling food safety hazards.

By incorporating these principles, organizations can establish and maintain a robust Food Safety Management System that effectively protects consumers and builds trust.

What are the key requirements for obtaining ISO 22000:2018 Food Safety Management System?

• Context of the Organization: Identify internal and external issues relevant to the organization's purpose and its ability to achieve the intended food safety outcomes. Consider legal, technological, competitive, market, cultural, social, and economic environments.
• Leadership and Commitment: Top management must demonstrate leadership and commitment by establishing a food safety policy, ensuring the integration of FSMS requirements into the organization’s business processes, and promoting continual improvement.
• Food Safety Policy: Develop a food safety policy that includes commitments to meet statutory and regulatory requirements, continually improve the FSMS, and address internal and external communication and competencies related to food safety.
• Planning: Address risks and opportunities, set food safety objectives, and plan actions to achieve these objectives. Consider internal and external issues, needs and expectations of interested parties, and legal and regulatory requirements.
• Support: Provide the necessary resources, maintain infrastructure and work environment, ensure competence of personnel, and establish processes for communication and documentation.
• Operational Control: Implement prerequisite programs (PRPs), conduct hazard analysis, establish critical control points (CCPs), and implement a traceability system. Develop procedures for emergency preparedness and response, and control externally provided processes, products, or services.
• Performance Evaluation: Monitor, measure, analyze, and evaluate the FSMS performance. Conduct internal audits and management reviews to ensure the system's effectiveness and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Improvement: Continuously improve the FSMS by addressing nonconformities, implementing corrective actions, and improving overall food safety performance.
• Documentation and Record Keeping: Maintain documented information to support the effective operation of the FSMS. This includes establishing a food safety manual, procedures, and records of hazard analysis, PRPs, CCP monitoring, and verification activities.
• Validation, Verification, and Improvement: Validate control measures, verify the FSMS, and continually improve the system based on performance data and feedback.
• Certification Process: Undergo a thorough certification process that includes an application review, Stage-1 and Stage-2 audits, a certification decision, and periodic surveillance audits to maintain certification.

• Communication: Establishing effective communication channels both internally and externally.  
• Traceability: Implementing systems to identify and trace food products.
• Product Recall: Having procedures in place for product recall and withdrawal.

By meeting these requirements, an organization can demonstrate its ability to control food safety hazards and ensure that food is safe for consumption.