FSSC 22000 is specifically targeted at food manufacturers. This certification scheme will help secure food safety standards within the production process of the supply chain.
ISO 22000 is very useful to harmonize the food safety management systems based on the HACCP principles; its management system nature limits its suitability for the retailers to guarantee their own supply chain (e.g., with regards to the “due diligence” issue, not covering in details pre-requisite programs). This is the underlying reason for setting up a new certification scheme targeting food manufacturers in particular, combining the management system approach, HACCP methodology and detailed guidelines regarding pre-requisite programs.
What is the FSSC 22000 certification scheme
The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), which is the most influential interest group for food retail companies, established a widely accepted set of criteria to define the food safety certification schemes suitability for the whole food industry; on the basis of these criteria an informal gap analysis benchmark on the ISO 22000 standard was performed to compare it with the so called “GFSI standards”.
FSSC 22000 is a new food safety certification scheme based on the existing internationally recognized standard ISO 22000, the PAS 220 and ISO TS 22003, specifically targeted at the food manufacturing sector, and takes into consideration the GFSI’s gap analysis.
The FSSC scheme, managed by the Foundation for Food Safety Certification based in The Netherlands, has been officially released on 15 May and then benchmarked by the GFSI Global Food Safety Initiative, against the requirements laid out in the GFSI Guidance Document Version 5. The GFSI Board of Directors, on 27 May, has granted conditional recognition of this scheme, based on the content of the scheme meeting the guidance document requirements, and the board is now encouraging the Foundation for Food Safety Certification to move the new scheme to full implementation.
How FSSC 22000 can improve your business
FSSC 22000 combines with remarkable effectiveness three main characteristics:
• A powerful management system framework, fully integrated in the overall company’s management system and consistent with other aspects or standards such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001
• A robust “Hazard Analysis and Risk Management” methodology based on HACCP principles and ability to improve food safety effectiveness and efficiency
• The use of a detailed guideline, the PAS 220, concerning the pre-requisite programs, as requested by ISO 22000 § 7.2 and fitting the retailers needs for the due diligence and related issues,
Other benefits to be highlighted include:
• Independence (owned by a non profit foundation)
• Multiple stakeholder approach in the development
• International and ISO worldwide credibility, built over GFSI approval
• Common language through global standards, ensuring worldwide consistency in implementation and allowing for benchmarking
Manufacturers already certified against ISO 22000 will only need a validation of ISO 22000 certification and an additional review against the PAS 220 (see below) to meet the FSSC 22000 certification scheme.
Features of FSSC 22000
FSSC 22000 is based on ISO 22000, PAS 220 and ISO/TS 22003 (the standard establishing the certification rules). Certification according to this scheme will be accredited under the standard ISO guide 65 (process certification).
The distinctive item of this certification scheme is the use of the Publicly Available Specification PAS 220, which has been developed to specify requirements for prerequisite programs (as per ISO 22000 § 7.2) to assist in controlling food safety standards within the manufacturing processes of the food supply chain.
PAS 220 was published on October 2008 by British Standards Institution (BSI) and sponsored by Danone, Kraft, Nestlè, Unilever and Confederation of the Food and Drink Industries of the European Union (CIAA).
PAS 220 complements ISO 22000 and provides a common set of 18 pre-requisite programs for use by food manufacturers:
• construction and layout of buildings;
• layout of premises and workspace;
• utilities – air, water, energy;
• waste disposal;
• equipment suitability, cleaning and maintenance;
• management of purchased materials;
• measures for prevention of cross contamination;
• cleaning and sanitizing;
• pest control;
• personnel hygiene and employee facilities;
• rework;
• product recall procedures;
• warehousing;
• product information/consumer awareness;
• food defense, biovigilance and bioterrorism
The next step was to bring ISO 22000 and PAS 220 together resulting in the new FSSC 22000 food safety management system certification scheme, with the Foundation for Food Safety (SCV) taking the ownership of the scheme and submitting it to GFSI for approval.
How can I prepare for certification?
The process described in FSSC 22000 includes the following steps:
• Identify, evaluate, and control the food safety hazards that may be expected to occur in order to avoid harming the consumer directly or indirectly
• Communicate appropriate information through the food chain regarding safety issues related to the product
• Communicate information concerning development, implementation, and updating of the food safety management system throughout the organization
• Evaluate periodically and update, when necessary, the food safety management system to cover the company’s actual activities and the most recent information on food safety hazards
One of the most important things to remember is that development, implementation, and certification of a food safety management system is a continuous journey, with the independent audit representing one element of the total assessment process.
Getting started with FSSC 22000 certification
DNV can:
• Provide training on FSSC 22000, ISO 22000 and PAS 220
• Perform gap-analysis, to help you understand your best route to certification
• Perform certification activities according to FSSC 22000
Do you want to get started with an FSSC 22000 certification? Or do you have any questions you need to have answered before you get started? Please use this form to contact us and we will get back to you as soon as possible.