CERTIFICATIONS WITHIN THE FOOD INDUSTRY
Certifications within the Food Industry
HOW TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THE FOOD INDUSTRY?
Within the food industry there are many problems, one of the most relevant being the increase in costs in the supply chain and the shortage of certain foods, mainly of agricultural origin.
Both situations are derived from the socioeconomic problems of some countries with emerging economies in some continents such as Asia and the excessive demand they have for food due to their high population, in addition to the environmental problems that have arisen worldwide.
It is no wonder that the food sector is a market that must comply with various restrictions and regulations, as it compromises people’s health.
There are several formal means by which you can ensure that the food consumed on a daily basis has gone through a verification process to ensure that it is safe for consumption, from the time the food is picked from the field or farm, to the time it is on the plate ready to be consumed and does not represent any health hazard.
One of the most reliable means is to implement a food safety management system in accordance with ISO 22000.
The ISO 22000 management system is effectively aligned with the principles of the HACCP methodology, which is the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, where information about the conditions and/or hazards that must be taken into account in food safety is collected and then evaluated.
WHAT IS FSSC 22000?
In the food sector, different organizations have emerged that have sought to regulate the entire supply chain through different means, such as the aforementioned HACCP plan or the Global Food Safety Initiative, which has a much broader prestige in the market and, therefore, greater credibility.
On the other hand, there is FSSC 22000 (Food Safety System Certification), which is an independent body that takes ISO 22000 as a basis to create a much more specific system.
FSSC 22000 is a certification scheme that combines the ISO 22000 Management System approach in conjunction with the HACCP method and ISO 22000 technical specifications; which dictate the what and how of some prerequisites to be implemented in order to control food safety standards in the manufacturing processes of the entire supply chain, since FSSC certification can be applied to all food products.
When the scheme was created, it was only applicable to companies engaged in manufacturing. However, its scope is much broader and covers, among other things, food additives, all ingredients, food packaging, distribution and so on.
WHICH STANDARD SHOULD YOU IMPLEMENT?
At this point, you may be wondering what is the difference between ISO 22000 and FSSC, well, both are intended to ensure that organizations comply with a food safety scheme and thus guarantee that the food consumed is safe for health. FSSC 22000 was created based on the points of ISO 22000 but with a few more requirements.
Currently many transnational companies such as Coca-Cola and Unilever, are requesting that their suppliers have FSSC certification as part of their requirements to be able to have a labor relationship. Because of this, you cannot get certified without having any basis, so before thinking about an FSSC certification you have to implement an ISO 22000 management system.
Unlike other certifications, this standard does not need specific requirements for prerequisite programs, only the organization has to establish the guidelines for the management system to be implemented successfully.
In this way, ISO 22000 becomes a much friendlier standard, and makes it possible for all types of companies in the food industry to become certified, and thus achieve international recognition, gain new customers due to the approach and open up to new markets, gain confidence within all stakeholders, not only for the certainty of food safety, but for legal compliance and the ability of the organization to identify and have controlled all possible risks present.
QAlliance is a Certification Body specialized in different sectors, so we can support you in your ISO 22000 certification, no matter your line of business, contact us for more information!