The highly-awaited revision of food safety standard ISO 22000 is here, with the new edition promising to bring clarity of understanding to users of the standard.
ISO 22000:2018, Food safety management systems – Requirements for any organization in the food chain, translates food safety management into a continuously improving process. The standard takes a precautionary approach to food safety by helping to identify, prevent, and reduce foodborne hazards in the food and feed chains.
ISO 22000:2018 offers a dynamic control of food safety hazards combining the following generally recognized key elements: interactive communication, systems management, Prerequisite Programmes, and the principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points.
Improvements in the revised standard include:
- Adoption of the High-Level Structure common across ISO management system standards
- A new approach to risk—as a vital concept in the food business—which distinguishes between risk at the operational and business levels of the management system
- Strong links to the Codex Alimentarius, a United Nations food group that develops food safety guidelines for governments
Jacob Faergemand, Chair of technical committee ISO/TC 34, Food products, subcommittee 17, Management systems for food safety, that developed the standard, says: “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.”
ISO 22000 is aimed at all organizations in the food and feed industries, regardless of size or sector.
The latest revision replaces the ISO 22000:2005 version. Organizations certified to the previous version of the standard have three years from the date of publication to transition to ISO 22000:2018.