Simplifying ISO 22000 2018 – Food Safety Management System

What is ISO 22000 2018?

 

ISO 22000:2018 FOOD SAFETY - Flora Garden BeachISO 22000 2018 is a standard that is known all over the world for ensuring food safety at all stages of production. It combines the ISO 9001 methodology for food safety management with the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points system (HACCP). The standard specifies the system an organisation must follow to prove it can adequately manage potential food safety risks.

 

ISO 22000 2018 works like a textbook. Imagine telling someone that your child is enrolled in the CBSE board’s fifth grade. makes it much simpler for anyone to understand what he is doing precisely, just as the 5th standard of the CBSE board is the same everywhere. If you tell any of your customers that you have implemented the ISO 22000 2018 standard, they will know exactly what systems you have in place, which will make it easier for them to trust your food products.

 

To ensure the safety of food production, ISO 22000 2018 establishes standards that can be met in order to receive certification. To guarantee that food is free from harmful contaminants, it details the steps a company must take to prove that it can effectively manage any dangers. It can be used by any kind of organisation, no matter how big or small it is.

 

Why ISO 22000 2018?

 

Using a food safety management system (FSMS) is a smart move for an organisation that could help improve its food safety performance. The benefits of implementing FSMS based on ISO 22000:2018 could help an organisation in the following ways:

– The ability to provide safe food, products, and services on a regular basis

– The ability to meet customer, government, and regulatory requirements; and

– The ability to deal with problems related to its goals.

– The ability to show that FSMS standards are being met.

– Improves customer satisfaction

– Helps meet other standards and guidelines such as FSSC 22000 or BRC GS

– Helps comply with regulatory requirements such as India’s FSSAI – Schedule IV requirements or US FDA – cGMP requirements.

 

Who Can Apply ISO 22000 2018?

 

All of ISO 22000 2018 requirements are general and are meant to apply to all organisations in the food chain, no matter how big or complicated they are.

Organizations that are directly or indirectly involved include, but are not limited to,

– Feed Producers

– Animal Food Producers

– Harvesters Of Wild Plants and Animals

– Farmers

– Ingredients

– Manufacturers

– Food Manufacturers

– Retailers,

– Organisations Offering Food Services,

– Catering Services,

–  Cleaning And Sanitation Services,

– Transportation,

– Storage And Distribution Services,

– Suppliers Of Equipment,

– Manufacturers Or Suppliers of Cleaning And Disinfectants,

– And Other Food Contact Materials.

 

Basically, anyone and everyone involved in food or food related business can implement ISO 22000 2018.

 

What is the ISO 22000 2018 Requirements?

 

Since the last update, which was in 2018, ISO 22000 has some organisational parts that are similar to other ISO management standards. 

 

ISO 22000 2018 employs the Annex SL format, a high-level structure (HLS) used by all ISO management standards at present. Part 1 of the ISO/IEC Directives has a section called Annex SL that tells people how to write ISO Management System Standard (MSS) standards. By using this shared structure, ISO hopes to reduce the number of processes that need to be done more than once, make it easier for different systems to work together, and clear up confusion about terminology and other things.

 

The 10 main clause of Annex SL format is:

 

Clause 1 – Scope talks about what the FSMS is supposed to do. These outcomes are specific to the industry and must make sense for the organisation.

 

Clause 2 – Normative Reference identify other standards and publications that are related to the standard in question.

 

Clause 3 – Terms and definitions define terminologies used in standards

 

Clause 4 – Context of the organization includes understanding the organisation and its surroundings, the need and expectations of interested parties, the scope of the FSMS and FSMS itself.

 

Clause 5 – Leadership includes Top Management’s commitment, its Food Safety Policy, and the roles, responsibilities and authorities of each employee within the organization.

 

Clause 6 – Planning helps design the FSMS, including how to deal with threats and capitalise on opportunities, so that it may function more effectively and produce the desired results.

 

Clause 7 – Support deals with everything needed to implement the FSMS, including personnel, knowledge, awareness, communication, and records. It also addresses important part which is basically wants you to control supplier of externally taken processes, products or services.

 

Clause 8 – Operation is basically HACCP. It talks about PRP’s, Operations (Process Flow Chart, Hazard analysis, CCP, OPRP etc.), operational planning and control.

 

Clause 9 Performance evaluation describes monitoring, measurement, analysis and evaluation of the implemented FSMS. Internal audits and management reviews are requirement of this clause.

 

Clause 10 – Improvement describes ways to improve the FSMS, such as fixing problems and allowing for continuous improvement.

 

ISO 22000:2018(en), Food safety management systems — Requirements for any organization in the food chain

 

 

How to Become ISO  22000 2018 Certified Organization?

 

Iso certification illustration with people and notepad

Like school, when a child is ready, an exam is given to check. In this case, the certification body is a school. This certification body will do the audits needed to make sure compliance, and if your organisation meets all the requirements, it will give you certification.

 

CERTIFICATION PROCESS

 

1. Implement the standard’s requirement on your own or hire a consultant like Food Cognizant who are expert in this and provides easy ways to meet the expectations.

 

2. Contact certification body and finalize quote. The quote depends majorly on numbers of HACCP Plan and number of staffs you have in your organization. While finalizing quote make sure the certification body has auditor with relevant industry’s scope, auditor’s geographical location as in if auditor is not local you have to pay for travelling and stay additionally, time taken to issue final certificate.

 

3. Stage 1 audit is conducted which basically just verify the framework, checks hygiene, infrastructure, and HACCP plans. In case of non-compliance, opportunities of improvement will be submitted by auditor to close and submit corrective action before stage 2 audit.

 

4. Stage 2 audit is conducted once all non-compliance found in Stage 1 audit is closed. This audit seeks to verify the FSMS is fully compliant with all requirements of ISO 22000 which is done by taking sample from each process.

 

5. If the auditor finds anything that isn’t right or that could be better, they will tell the organisation. If the auditor finds any minor or major non conformities, the organisation must fix them before it can get certified.

 

6. Once all Non conformities are closed, the certificate is issued to the organization which is valid for three years.

 

7. The organisation will have to go through annual surveillance audits for next two years to keep this certification. As required by ISO 22000, annual surveillance audits make sure the organisation stays in compliance and keeps improving its FSMS.

 

8. Post completion of three years cycle, recertification is done by conducting full stage 2 audit process.

 

How Food Cognizant Can Help?

 

Food Cognizant is Mumbai-based food safety, regulatory & quality solution provider, founded by Shabina N T. 

 

We give solutions to food business owners (FBO) through three business segments: consulting, auditing, and training. We help FBOs grow strong roots by sticking to regulation, assuring food safety through the implementation of globally recognized food certifications, resolving issues such as process and product validation, shelf life, and so on, and providing compulsory and purposeful training for food handlers.

 

Feel free to get in touch with Shabina N T, if you want to learn more about ISO 22000 and how we can help you get certified to it. You can reach us at mail@foodcognzant.com

 

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