ISO to Publish Food Safety Standard

Published: Tuesday, June 7, 2005 - 22:00

The International Organization for Standardization will publish a new food safety management systems standard in September. ISO 22000 is intended to ensure that there are no weak links in food supply chains. The new standard can be applied to organizations ranging from feed producers, food manufacturers, retail and food service outlets, and transport and storage facilities. It requires food service providers and manufacturers to demonstrate the ability to control safety hazards and meet customer requirements and food safety regulations.

“As food safety hazards can be introduced at any stage of the food chain, adequate control throughout the food chain is essential,” says Jacob Færgemand, convener of the ISO working group that’s developing ISO 22000. “Thus, food safety is a joint responsibility that’s principally assured through the combined efforts of all the parties participating in the food chain.”

The standard can be applied on its own or combined with other management system standards such as ISO 9001, with or without third-party certification. When ISO 22000 is published, ISO will also release a technical specification with guidelines on its implementation, geared specifically for small and medium-sized organizations. A second technical specification will explain certification requirements.

“Organizations that produce, manufacture, handle or supply food, recognize that customers increasingly want them to demonstrate and provide evidence of their ability to identify and control food safety hazards and the many conditions impacting food safety,” says Dorte Jespersen, secretary of the ISO 22000 working group. “The growing number of national standards for food safety management has led to confusion. Consequently, there’s a need to harmonize the national standards at an international level.”

For more information, visit www.iso.org.

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