ISO 22000 intends to define the Food Safety Management System requirements that companies need to
meet in order to comply with food safety regulations all over the world.
ISO 22000:2005 takes a food chain approach to food safety. It defines a set of general food safety management
requirements that apply not only to food producers and manufacturers, but to all the organizations that
participate in the food supply chain.
ISO 22000 specifies the requirements for an FSMS that combines the following key elements to ensure food
safety along the food chain:
— Interactive communication. Communication along the food chain is essential to ensure that all relevant
food safety hazards are identified and adequately controlled at each step within the food chain. This implies
communication between organizations both, upstream and downstream in the food chain.
— Management system. ISO 22000 can be applied independently of other management system standards.
Its implementation can be aligned or integrated with existing related management system requirements, while
organizations may utilize existing management system(s) to establish a food safety management system that
complies with the requirements of ISO 22000.
— HACCP principles and prerequisite programs. ISO 22000 integrates the principles of the Hazard
Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system and by means of auditable requirements, it combines the
HACCP plan with prerequisite programs (PRPs). Prerequisite programmes comprise all basic conditions and
activities necessary to maintain a hygienic environment throughout the food chain suitable for the production,
handling and provision of safe end products.
Difference between HACCP and ISO 22000
Besides the fact that HACCP is a food safety system, and ISO 22000 is a food safety management system
standard, differences between these two include the following:
• ISO 22000 allows the development of a food safety management system by external experts for any
company, and this includes implementation and verification of all or part of activities involved in the system
• ISO 22000 also refers to good practices in sectors and general hygiene rules published by Codex
Alimentarius.
• Besides the internal communication, external communication is also a condition for establishing,
implementing and updating the FSMS according to ISO 22000.
• ISO 22000 demands risk analysis to evaluate each food safety hazards identified.
• ISO 22000 demands documentation of PRPs.
• HACCP uses the traditional concept of dividing control measures into two groups: prerequisites and
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measures applied at critical control points (CCPs). In the case of ISO 22000, these concepts are
reorganized in a logical order by adding a group of control measures named operational prerequisite
programs (oPRPs).
ISO 22000 demands monitoring system and planning of corrective actions for operational PRPs, as for
CCPs.
ISO 22000 demands analysis and improvement according to the outcome of monitoring of oPRPs and
HACCP plan.
ISO 22000 also requires the review and identification of specifications, formulation and origin for input and
end-products.
ISO 22000 separates and clarifies verification activities and validation activities.