ISO 22000:2018: Food safety management systems – Requirements for any organization in the food chain is a critical international standard that specifies the requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining and improving an effective food safety management system (FSMS). This system aims to ensure that food is safe for consumption at all stages of the supply chain, from field to table.
The standard is vital for any organization (whether agricultural, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, restaurants, or even cleaning and equipment service providers) that wants to demonstrate its ability to control food safety risks and ensure legal and regulatory compliance.
The standard is based on three key pillars to ensure sustainable food safety:
- Interactive Communication: Ensuring that information is effectively exchanged across all stages of the food chain (horizontally and vertically) to identify and control risks.
- System Management: Applying a management system-based approach (e.g. ISO 9001) to integrate food safety into overall organizational processes.
- Prerequisite Programs and HACCP Principles: Combining HACCP principles with PRPs to ensure a safe environment.
Expert Development’s methodology to qualify you for ISO 22000
We offer a customized workflow to ensure that your organization is not only compliant, but builds a robust food safety system that works efficiently and effectively:
- Gap Analysis and Food Safety Contextualization:
- We perform a comprehensive assessment of your current infrastructure and processes against the requirements of ISO 22000. We identify operational gaps and support you in identifying risks and opportunities affecting food safety, according to your specific business context in the food chain.
- BuildHACCPplan and design pre-programs (PRPs):
- We support your team in creating and documenting Operational Prerequisite Programs (OPRPs) and systematically applying HACCP principles (Hazard Analysis, Identification of Critical Control Points (CCPs), Identification of Critical Limits).
- We help formulate a food safety policy and define measurable system objectives.
- Documentation and process verification:
- We support your team in documenting Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Traceability and Corrective Actions. We place special emphasis on verification and audit mechanisms to ensure the effectiveness of the control measures in place.
- Implementation oversight and internal audit:
- We oversee the pilot implementation phases of the system, including the control of non-conforming products and the effectiveness of the Recall systems.
- We train internal auditors and conduct a comprehensive internal audit to ensure that the system is ready for the certification body’s review.
- Preparing for sustainability and international recognition:
- We focus on integrating the food safety system into organizational leadership and governance. Our goal is to build a sustainable system that ensures periodic management review and continuous improvement to ensure the organization is responsive to any changes in risk or legal requirements.
The end result
Your partnership with Development Experts ensures that your food safety system acts as a “comprehensive line of defense”. You’re not just getting a certificate of compliance, you’re building a preventative framework that significantly reduces food safety incidents, protects your brand reputation, builds trust with customers and regulators, and opens doors to global markets.
