The ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB) has granted BSI accreditation to certify organisations to the revised international standard for food safety management, ISO 22000:2018 Food safety management systems – requirements for any organisation in the food chain.
The updated version of ISO 22000, provides a framework based on best practice for any organisation, from a small, family-owned farm to a multi-national food service outlet, to implement a comprehensive food safety management system.
According to Richard Werran, Director Food, EMEA at BSI, companies engaged in the food supply chain are facing increasing demands to demonstrate that their management practices and procedures are of a consistently high standard and to foster a positive food safety and quality culture.
"By combining the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle to manage business risk with HACCP to identify, prevent and control food safety hazards, conformity to ISO 22000 helps organisations to reduce exposure to risk and improve safety, encouraging operational and organizational resilience," Werran explained.
Crucially, ISO 22000 enables organisations in the food chain to:
- Plan, implement, operate, maintain and update a food safety management system providing products and services that are safe, according to their intended use
- Demonstrate compliance with applicable statutory and regulatory food safety requirements
- Evaluate and assess mutually agreed customer food safety requirements and demonstrate conformity to them
- Effectively communicate food safety issues to interested parties within the food chain
- Ensure that the organisation conforms to its stated food safety policy
- Demonstrate conformity to relevant interested parties
- Seek certification or registration of food safety management systems by an external organization or make a self-assessment or self-declaration of conformity to the standard
"Achieving accreditation to ISO 22000 is a testament to the investment BSI makes in training our auditors to ensure that our clients take full advantage of the benefits of this new standard," Werran concluded.