ISO 22000 — Food safety management

ISO 22000 is the international food safety management standard based on HACCP, applicable to any organisation in the food chain.

It is published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the current edition is from 2018. It combines three elements: the Codex Alimentarius HACCP principles for identifying and controlling biological, chemical and physical hazards; prerequisite programmes (PRPs), which are the basic hygiene conditions, such as cleaning and disinfection, pest control or maintenance; and the common structure of ISO management standards, with the plan-do-check-act cycle, risk assessment and continual improvement. It also distinguishes operational PRPs, control measures that do not amount to critical control points but are specifically monitored.

The standard can be applied by any organisation involved directly or indirectly in the chain: primary producers, food manufacturers, transport, storage, catering and also suppliers of packaging, equipment or cleaning products. Certification is granted by an independent certification body after an audit. The FSSC 22000 scheme, which adds sector-specific prerequisite programmes to ISO 22000, is recognised by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), as are BRCGS and IFS.

As regards cleaning, an ISO 22000 system requires a documented cleaning and disinfection plan: which product is used on each surface, at what dose and temperature, how often, who does it and how the result is verified. It also requires chemical risk to be controlled, meaning that products are identified and stored separately, used according to their technical data sheet and their safety data sheet, and that food contact surfaces are rinsed when the data sheet says so.

More information: Cleaning and disinfection plan · IFS and BRC · ISO 9001