The new food safety management system standard, ISO 22000:2005, provides a framework for keeping the global food supply safe and will help organizations worldwide implement the Codex HACCP system for food hygiene in a way that does not vary from country to country.

The new food safety management system standard, ISO 22000:2005, provides a framework for keeping the global food supply safe and will help organizations worldwide implement the Codex HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) system for food hygiene in a way that does not vary from country to country. The standard was developed within ISO by experts from the food industry in cooperation with the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the body jointly established by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO).

The new standard allows organizations within the food chain to implement a food safety management system. These organizations include feed producers, primary producers, food manufacturers, transport and storage operators and subcontractors to retail and food service outlets, as well as producers of equipment, packaging material, cleaning agents, additives and ingredients.

While a number of countries and companies have developed standards for the supply of safe food, having different programs worldwide generates food safety risks and confusion over requirements, as well as increased costs and complications for suppliers obliged to conform to multiple programs.

ISO 22000 harmonizes the requirements for systematically managing safety in food supply chains and offers a unique solution for best practices on a worldwide basis. For instance, food safety management systems that conform to ISO 22000 can be certified. In addition, any organization can implement the standard without certification of conformity, solely for the benefits it provides. ISO 22000 incorporates the principles of HACCP and covers the requirements of key standards developed by various global food retailer syndicates.

While ISO 22000 can be implemented on its own, it is fully compatible with ISO 9001:2000, and companies already certified to ISO 9001 will find it easy to extend their certification to ISO 22000, according to ISO.

ISO 22000:2005 will include the following documents:

• ISO/TS 22004, Food safety management systems-Guidance on the application of ISO 22000:2005 will be published by November 2005 to assist organizations including small and medium-sized enterprises.
• ISO/TS 22003, Food safety management systems-Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of food safety management systems will give harmonized guidance for the accreditation (approval) of ISO 22000 certification bodies and define the rules for auditing a food safety management system as conforming to the standard. It will be published in the first quarter of 2006.
• ISO 22005, Traceability in the feed and food chain-General principles and guidance for system design and development will be circulated as a draft international standard.

For more information, contact www.iso.org.