December 2005 Volume 19

Inside the December issue

Question of the month: How can ISO22000 benefit food companies that are already ISO-9001 certified?

BY Chris Anderson
December 27, 2005

After talking much of November about quality principles, we switched gears in December and introduced the important issue of food safety management.

As much as you want to take your food supply for granted, what we eat today would not be safe were it not for the myriad of standards and regulations that food suppliers follow—by choice, or as conditions to run their businesses. This only underscores the importance of widely accepted standards like the ISO 9001, or, in the food chain, the new ISO 22000:2005.

Is Our Food Supply Safe?

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) interprets “safe food” as food in which illness-causing substances (bacteria, chemicals, etc.), when they are present, are within acceptable levels. Through food research, the definition of “acceptable levels” is continually changing – for the better, it is hoped.

Recent surveys conducted by various testing and governing bodies suggest that our food supplies are safer than ever. However, from what we’ve seen in the news in recent times about mad cow disease, e. coli, salmonella and hepatitis A, we as consumers may be excused for thinking it isn’t necessarily so.

Why do we Need ISO 22000:2005?

ISO 22000:2005, “Food Safety Management Systems – Requirements for any Organization in the Supply Chain,” is designed to provide a framework of internationally harmonized requirements for the global food industry. It allows every type of organization in the supply chain – from primary producers to food processors, to storage and transportation companies, to retail and food service outlets, and even makers of equipment used in food processing – to implement a Food Safety Management System, or FSMS.

Training Courses on Food Safety Management

With the surge of interest in food safety, a variety of standards and regulations have been developed and promoted, but the ISO 22000:2005 is quickly becoming the accepted standard worldwide. To meet the growing demand for food safety management training and implementation, Bizmanualz has developed a comprehensive curriculum addressing ISO 22000 and Food Safety Management System.

Read more about food safety management training…

By helping you focus on your business as a system of processes, the ISO quality standards improve the effectiveness of your business operations. Like other ISO standards, ISO 22000 is designed with the end customer in mind – providing assurance about the safe handling and processing of food components in your organization. By taking the requirements of HACCP into account, the ISO 22000 is applicable in a wide variety of companies related to the food industry.

Reader Feedback

Once again, thank you very much for all your comments, suggestions and praises about our emails. Many of you have pointed out that the topics we cover are helpful in your jobs or other projects that you are working on. That is exactly our intention too. We would like our articles to provide you information that you can use to your advantage.

In order to help us continue to help you, please keep your suggestions, comments and questions coming. If there is any particular topic you would like to see addressed, please let us know as well. We will try to accommodate your requests as far as possible.

On That Note

Answer to this month's question:

ISO 22000:2005 parallels the ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management System standard, which is already widely implemented in all types of industries. What this means to food companies looking to certify to ISO 22000 is that since the new standard is compatible with ISO 9001, firms that are already ISO-9001-certified should find ISO 22000 certification relatively easy. And, certifying for ISO 22000 means added assurance to your customers that that food items or supplies from your company can be trusted to be safe.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments that you may have about our products, services or articles. Also, please let us know if you'd like any specific topic addressed in our future articles.

Happy holidays and best wishes for a great new year.

Regards,
Chris
Bizmanualz, Inc