3 Nov 2005 : ISO 22000 for Food Safety Management System is now available !

Food Safety Management Systems have been existed for quite a long time. The common name associated with them is HACCP which was in place since the 60’s when the USA was launching the space programs. HACCP is in fact called Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point, which was a preventive-based food safety management tool. In order to ensure HACCP can produce good effects, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) should be in place. GMP is sometimes called Supportive Safety Measures (SSM), Pre-requisite Program (PRP) or Good Hygiene Practices. For many years, Food Safety Management Systems exist in many forms, such as in the form of Danish Standard, Dutch Standard, Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) Standard, FDA Guidelines and even in the form of a Hong Kong based Standard. As a consultant in this field, we have had wide experience in helping clients to work towards building up a food safety management system for trades like central food production, patient catering, milk kitchen, ice cream, drinks, cakes, frozen food, meal boxes, etc. From our experience, we are confused by so many different standards in this area. Also, we have to waste a lot of effort to adapt our client’s work practices to different, though similar, requirements. Fortunately, the good news has come. ISO 22000, the Food Safety Management Systems – Requirements, has been published on 1 Sept. 2005. We welcome the effort of ISO to publish an internationally agreed standard in food safety management and hope this standard does really help the industries.