The international quality standard, ISO 22000—"Food safety management systems—Requirements for any organization in the food chain" ensures that no matter how many times food changes hands, the food products, according to their intended use, are safe for the consumer. Published in September 2005, ISO 22000 applies to food safety management with the intention of making the supply chain stronger and hazard free.

Food experts at the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) worked in conjunction with the Codex Alimentarius Commission and applied principles of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) food safety program to create a new standard that would guide organizations in implementing better management systems. The new standard makes it easier for organizations involved in the food supply chain to comply with HACCP principles and creates an international standard all can adhere to.

This standard was created in response to an outbreak of food-related illnesses across the globe. Countries began making their own food safety standards to ensure food safety, which resulted in confusion, high costs, and carelessness along the food supply chain as everyone tried to comply with all of the differing standards.

ISO 22000 offers a certifiable, international standard flexible enough for organizations across the globe to comply with. The standard combines HACCP concepts with international retailer requirements to produce a single standard for compliance, and can easily be partnered with ISO 9001:2000.

For certification, an organization must show its ability to keep the consumers happy by maintaining compliance with the most recent food safety regulations. There are also prerequisites it must meet. Organizations must have a good infrastructure, capable of instituting permanent practices to deal with basic food safety requirements, and it must have operational programs, like HACCP, to identify and control all food safety hazards whether in production methods or the actual product.

ISO 22000 standards include:

• Interactive communication:  this ensures that, along the food supply chain; all relevant hazards are identified and monitored.
• System Management: ISO 9001 was incorporated under the assumption that the best food safety systems are based on structural managements plans.
• Hazard Control:  a detailed HACCP plan as to how the food will be delivered safely is needed

Sources:

http://www.iso.org/iso/tool_5-04.pdf
http://www.iso.org/iso/pressrelease.htm?refid=Ref966