ISO 22000 Management System Certification: safety management across every link in the supply chain

UNI EN ISO 22000 "Food safety management systems - Requirements for any organisation in the food chain" is a voluntary standard focusing on food safety, that aims to harmonise the needs of enterprises at a global level. It enables all companies, large and small, with different degrees of management complexity, to put in place a food safety management system that is more focused, coherent and integrated with the rest of their organisation than the systems they currently have in place to meet existing regulatory requirements.
ISO 22000 has the major advantage of integrating and harmonising the approach to food safety management along the entire food chain at an international level.

ISO 22000 certification enables companies to demonstrate their ongoing commitment to food safety management and to earn the trust of consumers.

COV-ID-19 Outbreak: the transition period for migrating accredited certifications from ISO 22000:2005 to ISO 22000:2018 is extended to 29 December 2021.

ISO 22000

The standard was developed by an ISO technical committee in conjunction with food industry experts, the Codex Alimentarius, the FAO and the World Health Organisation. The standard has a very wide field of application because all actors involved in the food chain can subscribe to it: the key merit of this document is that it has succeeded in organising different philosophies of hygiene risk management and thus represents a valid tool for companies that want to implement a targeted system for managing hygiene problems. ISO 22000 focuses on the 4 key elements described below:

The standard specifies the requirements for a food safety management system (FSMS) designed to enable organisations directly or indirectly involved in the food chain to:

  • plan, implement, operate, maintain and update an FSMS in order to supply safe products and services, in accordance with their intended use;
  • demonstrate compliance with the legislative and regulatory requirements applicable to food safety;
  • examine and assess the food safety requirements mutually agreed with customers and demonstrate compliance with them;
  • communicate food safety issues effectively to stakeholders within the food chain;
  • ensure that their organisation conforms with their stated food safety policy;
  • demonstrate this conformity to stakeholders

Although it can be applied alone, ISO 22000 is fully compatible with ISO 9001:2000. The many aspects it has in common with ISO 22005 also make it possible to carry out joint audits, thus saving time and resources.

New features of ISO 22000:2018

  • The new ISO high level structure (HLS), which is common to all new management system standards. This reorganisation of the standard therefore facilitates integration of the new ISO 22000 with standards such as ISO 9001 (Quality Management Systems), ISO 14001 (Environmental Management Systems) and even more specific standards such as ISO 45001 (Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems)
  • The risk-based approach, which is also common to other standards and puts the concept of risk back at the centre of attention, is absolutely vital for food companies. The standard aims to distinguish between operational risk (by means of the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point approach, HACCP) and strategic risk at management system level, which is a business risk
  • There are two different Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycles, which are clearly distinct from each other but operate within one other. The first applies to the management system as a whole, while the second, incorporated into the first, tackles the operations described in clause 8 and covers the HACCP principles defined in the Commission’s Codex Alimentarius
  • A more detailed explanation of the key concepts of Critical Control Points and Prerequisite Operational Programmes

The benefits of ISO 22000 certification

ISO 22000 enables all companies involved in the food chain, whether directly or indirectly, to identify the specific risks to which they are exposed and manage them effectively. ISO 22000 certification also enables organisations to:

  • Adhere to a certifiable, internationally recognised standard
  • Acquire a method for organising different risk management philosophies and shifting the organisation’s attention to a systemic approach based on preventive control instead of subsequent checking of products
  • Organise and target the communication system between the various partners
  • Optimise resources both within individual companies and along the entire food chain
  • Preventing the occurrence of accidents along the entire chain and checking adequacy against standards are two essential factors for protecting brand value.
 Certification for CSQ schemes is awarded to organisations that operate in accordance with the applicable standards. Certificates are valid for three years. The audits are planned on the basis of the customer’s requirements and in accordance with international standards. After the award of the certificate, the organisation undergoes periodic audits and an overall system review every three years. The auditors make on-site visits to organisations to analyse their ability to plan and manage their business processes. Management system certification is the endorsement enjoyed by organisations that have chosen to equip themselves with efficient management systems and suitable skills and structures, aimed at continuous improvement. And the higher the prestige of the awarding body, the higher the value of the guarantee. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, our laboratories have full capability to put products through all the checks required by the major European directives and international standards. The certifications issued by IMQ are synonymous with trust. They guarantee safety, performance, efficiency and quality standards. More than 10,000 companies have turned to IMQ to certify their products and stand out on the market. Notified body for the main EU directives, IMQ offers tests and CE certifications to assess the conformity of the products to the requirements required to be marketed on the European market. Inspections and audits validate the conformity of electrical installations, equipment, supplies and services with the applicable technical and legislative specifications.