18 Jan ISO 22000: Codex System for Food Hygiene

ISO 22000 will make it easier for organizations worldwide to implement the Codex system for food hygiene in a harmonized way, which does not vary with the country or food product concerned. Food reaches consumers via supply chains that may link many different types of organizations and that may stretch across multiple borders.

One weak link can result in unsafe food that is dangerous to health and when this happens, the hazards to consumers can be serious and the cost to food chain suppliers considerable. As food safety hazards can enter the food chain at any stage, adequate control throughout is essential. Food safety is a joint responsibility of all the actors in the food chain and requires their combined efforts. 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. ISO standards are providing well-defined operational targets which are not specific to the organizational and system infrastructures.

ISO 22000 may apply to all types of organizations within the food chain ranging from feed producers, primary producers through the food manufacturers, transport and storage operators and subcontractors to retail and food service outlets together with inter-related organizations such as producers of equipment, packaging material, cleaning agents, additives and ingredients. The most effective food safety systems are designed, operated and updated within the framework of a structured management system and incorporated into the overall management activities of the organization.

ISO 22000 will take due consideration of the requirements of ISO 9001 in order to enhance compatibility of the two standards and to allow their joint or integrated implementation. Effective systems those are capable of controlling food safety hazards to acceptable levels in the end products. It is the best and most effective strategy to incorporate food safety into the overall organizational and management system. The current models and standards provide the road map to achieve this.