Anyone who becomes familiar with standards is soon impressed by the fact that they are part of an invisible infrastructure that makes our lives far safer and easier. And what better time to look at a side of standardization that you may have not considered in your everyday life than Thanksgiving and food safety standards? Of course, there are many specific standards relating to components of food and the biological composition and safety of specific foods. And there are standards for testing such attributes as taste and texture. But I thought you might enjoy learning about the ISO management standards that address the basic processes and procedures for safe food handling and processing.
The ISO committee charged with issuing and maintaining Food Management Standards is Technical Committee 34, Subcommittee 17 (TC 34/SC 17). Their standards are grouped in the 22000 numbering series and we will take a look at each one separately:
- ISO 22000, 1st Edition with a Technical Corrigendum, Food safety management systems — Requirements for any organization in the food chain
- ISO/TS 22002-1, 1st Edition, Prerequisite programmes on food safety — Part 1: Food manufacturing
- ISO/TS 22002-2, 1st Edition, Prerequisite programmes on food safety – Part 2: Catering
- ISO/TS 22002-3, 1st Edition, Prerequisite programmes on food safety – Part 3: Farming
- ISO/TS 22003, 2nd Edition, Food safety management systems — Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of food safety management systems
- ISO/TS 22004, 1st Edition, Food safety management systems — Guidance on the application of ISO 22000:2005
- ISO/TS 22005, 1st Edition, Traceability in the feed and food chain — General principles and basic requirements for system design and implementation
As you can see, the goal of these types of management standards is to provide a framework for consistent, well documented and executed processes, in this case to ensure the safe delivery of food to the ultimate consumer.
The schema is in line with the other management system standards. The foundation document, the ISO 22000, provides the basic requirements for developing a food safety process that meets regulatory and customer needs. It is set up so that an organization can be certified or registered to the standard.
The ISO/TS 22002 series provides specific details on various channels for food generation and handling. These 3 technical specifications provide support for implementing specific clauses that are in the ISO 22000 document itself. The documents cover such diverse aspects of food handling as the construction of buildings used for food handling, warehousing, biovigilance, cross-contamination, consideration of possible consumer vulnerabilities, and so on.
ISO/TS 22004 is a generic document, covering guidance on the various clauses of the ISO 22000. Any user of the ISO 22000 will find this document helpful in clarifying the intention and meaning of the ISO 22000.
And lastly, the ISO/TS 22005 addresses the need for traceability in the food chain. I’m sure that you’ve noticed when a food-borne health issue arises, health professionals are able to determine (sometimes with surprising accuracy) the source of the problem to implement corrective action. In today’s world, with food arriving on our plates from locations worldwide, it is essential to be able to trace the source when health safety issues crop up.
Thanksgiving is getting a whole new meaning for me, as I discover that I have ancestors that were here in the United States in the 1600’s. When I think of the difference in their way of life compared to ours, it is astounding. We are able to provide a meal that has elements from places that I’m sure those first settlers had never heard of.
But with the food trade having a global reach, the need for an international system to ensure the safety of our food supply is essential. When you sit down tomorrow to your big meal, I hope you will take a moment out to thank those members of the ISO TC34/SC 17 who have been hard at work providing the framework for the system that delivers a safe and healthful menu to you!
Of course, Document Center has all of these ISO standards and over 800,000 more documents available for you to purchase. You can buy them on our web store at www.document-center.com. Or you can contact us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com). We are able to provide you with additional support services, so if you use a management standards system in your business, please ask us how we can help you! Remember, thousands of Document Center customers rely on us to keep their standards collections current. Make us your Standards Experts!
