Four Key Elements ISO 22000

• Management, Including Policy, Obligation, Organization and Resources: The contents of the standard include a corporate requirement to demonstrate effective internal communication within the company, and that the management should lead the way in doing this. There are also demands regarding communication to both suppliers and customers. This includes a definition of the systems necessary to ensure agreement between the expectations of sales staff and purchasers regarding products.
• HACCP Plan and Principles: Food safety is defined as the absence of risk factors above a certain acceptable level. By employing the well known HACCP principles, a decision is made as to where there are critical control points (CCPs) in the process, how these are to be monitored and how they can be brought back under control. The management system must be focused, which means the number of CCPs should be kept to a minimum.
• Other Measures: Other conditions that require control are described as “other measures”. These should be present, documented and working well to ensure the efficiency of the system. The standard describes how a controlling measure is categorized as regards CCPs and other measures, but does not include a decision tree.
• Communication: There are also demands regarding accessible information about products, storage conditions and the development of new foodstuffs and food products, as well as the education and training of staff whose work has an impact on food safety.