What Is ISO 22000?
ISO 22000 is a Food Safety Management System (FSMS) standard that enables organisations in the food chain to systematically manage food safety hazards and supports the safe production, processing, storage, transport or serving of food.
The current standard is ISO 22000:2018. The ISO 22000:2005 edition has been withdrawn and replaced by ISO 22000:2018. According to ISO's official records, ISO 22000:2018 is still the current standard, and the amendment Amd 1:2024 – Climate Action Changes was published in 2024.
For this reason, the expressions “ISO 22000:2005 Certificate”, “ISO 22000-2005 Food Safety Certificate” or “ISO 22000:2005 Certification” still widely used on the internet refer to the old standard. The current ISO 22000:2018 requirements must be taken as the basis in new certification work.
What Does the ISO 22000 Food Safety Management System Provide?
ISO 22000 creates a systematic structure for identifying, assessing and controlling the hazards that may arise in terms of food safety.
Depending on the organisation's activities, the system may address processes such as:
- Identifying food safety hazards,
- Assessing and controlling risks,
- Establishing and managing prerequisite programmes (PRP),
- Determining operational prerequisite programmes (OPRP),
- Applying HACCP principles,
- Managing critical control points,
- Carrying out product and process controls,
- Managing hygiene and sanitation practices,
- Maintaining and controlling equipment,
- Ensuring personnel hygiene and competence,
- Evaluating suppliers,
- Controlling storage and transport processes,
- Managing product information and traceability,
- Planning emergency and withdrawal/recall processes,
- Ensuring internal and external communication on food safety
The basic approach of ISO 22000 is for the organisation to show that it can control food safety hazards and has established a management system capable of consistently providing safe products and services.
The Relationship Between ISO 22000 and HACCP
HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) is one of the important elements of food safety management.
ISO 22000, however, does not consist only of the application of HACCP. It addresses food safety management within the approach:
Prerequisite Programmes (PRP) + Hazard Analysis + OPRP + HACCP Principles + Management System + Communication + Traceability + Continual Improvement
For this reason, ISO 22000 creates a comprehensive system for the organisation to manage its food safety processes not only at the production stage but together with its activities and related processes within the food chain.
For Which Organisations Is ISO 22000 Suitable?
ISO 22000 can be applied by organisations operating at different stages of the food chain.
For example, the following can be assessed under ISO 22000:
- Food manufacturers,
- Meat and meat product businesses,
- Milk and dairy product manufacturers,
- Bakery product and bakery businesses,
- Beverage manufacturers,
- Ready-meal and catering companies,
- Feed manufacturers,
- Organisations producing food packaging,
- Storage and logistics companies,
- Organisations transporting food,
- Food wholesalers and distributors,
- Retail and food service organisations,
- Organisations providing equipment, cleaning or other services to the food sector
The basic scope of the standard is to define the requirements for organisations in the food chain, regardless of their size, to establish a food safety management system.
Benefits of the ISO 22000 Food Safety Management System
Depending on the organisation's activities and existing system, ISO 22000 can contribute to:
- More systematic management of food safety hazards,
- Controlling food safety risks,
- Making HACCP practices systematic,
- Managing prerequisite programmes,
- Improving production and process controls,
- Strengthening the traceability system,
- Improving supplier control,
- Raising employees' awareness of food safety,
- Improving food safety communication with customers and suppliers,
- Managing nonconformities and withdrawal/recall risks,
- Tracking legal and regulatory food safety requirements,
- Continually improving food safety performance
ISO 22000 certification can also be used to show the organisation's customers and interested parties that it has a certain systematic structure for food safety management.
ISO 22000 and Other Management Systems
ISO 22000 is structured so that it can be applied together with ISO's other management system standards.
In particular, an integrated management system can be created with:
- ISO 9001 Quality Management System
- ISO 14001 Environmental Management System
- ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System
With this approach, processes such as common documentation, internal audit, management review and assessment of risks and opportunities can be managed in a more integrated manner.
ISO 22000:2018 and the Climate Change Amendment
The Amd 1:2024 – Climate Action Changes amendment to the ISO 22000:2018 standard was published in 2024. This amendment is part of ISO's updates to management system standards on assessing whether climate change is a relevant issue for the organisation's management system.
For this reason, the requirements of ISO 22000:2018 and Amd 1:2024 must be taken into account when establishing a new ISO 22000 system or reviewing an existing one.
ISO 22000 Certification Process
The ISO 22000 certification process starts with an assessment of the organisation's scope of activity and food safety processes.
In general, it may proceed as follows:
- Determining the organisation and the product/service scope
- Assessing existing food safety practices
- Establishing the food safety policy and objectives
- Determining prerequisite programmes
- Carrying out the food safety hazard analysis
- Determining OPRPs and critical control points
- Creating the HACCP plan
- Establishing traceability and emergency processes
- Creating the documentation and record system
- Implementing the system
- Carrying out the internal audit and management review
- Conducting the certification audit
- Certification following the conformity assessment
- Maintaining and continually improving the system
Certification is carried out not by ISO but by independent certification bodies.
About the ISO 22000:2005 Certificate
Searches are still made on the internet in the form of “ISO 22000:2005 Certificate”, “ISO 22000-2005 Certification” and “ISO 22000:2005 Food Safety Certificate”.
However, the ISO 22000:2005 standard was withdrawn in 2018. ISO 22000:2018 cancelled the 2005 edition and replaced it.
For this reason, organisations planning new certification work must take the current ISO 22000:2018 standard as their basis.
In addition, work is continuing on a new revision of ISO 22000. Because ISO/DIS 22000 is still at the draft stage, it should not be regarded as a published final standard.
ISO 22000 Certification and Consultancy Service
At Istanbul Certificate Office, we assess the ISO 22000 Food Safety Management System needs of organisations operating in the food chain in line with their field of activity, product groups, processes and existing quality/food safety practices.
As part of the work, support can be provided on:
- Assessment of ISO 22000 requirements,
- Analysis of the existing food safety system,
- Structuring PRP and food safety processes,
- Aligning HACCP and hazard analysis work with the system,
- Creating the documentation and record system,
- Preparing traceability and withdrawal/recall processes,
- Internal audit preparations,
- Management review preparations,
- Preparation for the certification audit,
- Process coordination with the certification body
To Obtain an ISO 22000 Certification Quotation
To receive information about ISO 22000 certification or consultancy services for your company, you can share with us:
- Your company's field of activity,
- Your product or product groups,
- Your production/service processes,
- Your number of employees,
- Your existing ISO and HACCP certificates,
- Your certification scope
By assessing your company's existing structure, we can draw up an appropriate work plan for ISO 22000:2018 Food Safety Management System set-up, certification and audit preparation.
