The ISO body has published the new system as Food safety management system which is ISO 22000: 2005 standard. ISO 22000 requirements for food safety management system, which cover all FDA requirements through various clauses of ISO 22000. Food safety management system is related to the presence of food borne hazards in food at the point of consumption. As the introduction of food safety hazards can occur at any stage of the food chain, adequate control throughout the food chain is essential. Thus, food safety is ensured through the combined efforts of all personnel.
All the progressive units in India, Malaysia, Singapore, Bangkok, Sri Lanka and Gulf Countries, which are in the food manufacturing and food export market today, have adopted some system of obtaining the safe food product. Experience of other industries in India and outside India shows that extensive efforts on the part of each and every person in the organisation are needed for upgrading the existing system to meet the requirements of ISO: 22000.
ISO22000 are a generic document and it does not specify "how" to do, but only states "what" to do. As per the standard, the Food Safety Management System should be documented and be demonstrable in the manner consistent with the requirements of ISO 22000: 2005 models. The total demonstration in the Food safety management System consists of following.
- Interactive communication
- System management
- Prerequisite programmes
- HACCP principle
The general requirements of demonstration in the Food safety management System consists of following:
- Food Safety Manual
- Procedures to follow
- Exhibits / HACCP Plan / Hazard analysis
- Work Instruction/Operating Procedure Manual
- Forms, Records
- Internal audit checklists to check Food Safety and HACCP system
The amount of documentation should support and efficient quality assurance system without creating a paper bureaucracy. The details for documenting above four tiers of documents are described in this paper.
