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ISO INSIDER

ISO 22000 to ensure integrity of food supply chain
by Jacob Færgemand and Dorte Jespersen

Failures in food supply can be dangerous and cost plenty. ISO 22000 for food safety management systems is intended to provide security by ensuring that there are no weak links in the food supply chain.
ISO/22000, Food safety management systems – Requirements throughout the food chain, iscurrently at the stage of Draft International Standard (DIS). It is expected to be available as an International Standard in 2005. The standard can be applied on its own, or in combination with other management system standards such as ISO 9001:2000, with or without independent (third party) certification of conformity.

What is the standard about ?
ISO 22000 specifies requirements for a foodsafety management system in the food chain where an organization
• needs to demonstrate its

ability to control food safety hazards in order to consistently provide safe end products that meet both the requirements agreed with the customer and those of applicable food safety regulations, and
• aims to enhance customer

satisfaction through the effective control of food safety hazards,including processes for updating the system.

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Who are the intended users ?
ISO 22000 may apply to all types of organizations within the food chain ranging from feed producers, primary producers through food manufacturers, transport and storage operators and subcontractors to retail and food service outlets – together withinter-related organizations such as producers of equipment, packaging material, cleaning agents, additives and ingredients.

Figure 1: Example for communication along the food chain.
Arrows indicate interactive communication.

Crop producers

Producers of pesticides, fertilizers, and veterinary drugs Food chain for the production of ingredients and additives Transport and storage operators Producersof equipment Producers of cleaning agents Producers of packaging materials

Feed producers

Regulatory authorities

requirement of customers for them to demonstrate and provide adequate evidence of their ability to identify and control food safety hazards and the many conditions impacting food safety. ISO 9001:2000 on quality management does not deal specifically with food safety.

Primaryfood producers

Food processors

2 food processors

nd

Wholesalers Service providers Retailers Consumer Other supplying food chains

tems standard to the secretariat of ISO/TC 34, Food products, in 2001.

Food safety is related to the presence of and levels of food-borne hazards in food at the point of consumption (intake by the consumer). As food safety hazards may be introduced atany stage of the food chain, adequate control throughout the food chain is essential. Thus, food safety is a joint responsibility that is principally assured through the combined efforts of all the parties participating in the food chain.

As a result, many countries, such as Denmark, the Netherlands, Ireland and Australia amongst others developed voluntary national standards and other documentsspecifying auditable requirements for food safety management systems. The number of national standards has led to confusion. Consequently, there is a need to harmonize the national standards on an international level. This was the reason why the Danish Standards Association (DS – www.ds.dk) submitted a new work item proposal for a food safety management sys-

What does it cover ?
The standardwill combine generally recognized key elements to ensure food safety along the food chain, as follows :
• Interactive communication

Communication with customers and suppliers, based on the information generated through systematic hazard analysis, will also assist in substantiating customer and supplier requirements with regard to their feasibility, need and impact on the end product. The...