Food Safety Management System (FSMS) and ISO certification (ISO 22000)

As you aim to achieve international recognition in the food industry and access to the global market, consumer trust is won through the assurance of having a proper ISO 22000 certified Food Safety Management System (FSMS) in place.

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ISO 22000:2018 Food Safety Management Systems

Our experienced team of in-house ISO consultants can plan and guide you through this process smoothly, covering critical areas for your company, as follows, to ensure you are well-established.

What is ISO 22000 Food Safety Management Systems (FSMS)?

ISO 22000 – Food Safety Management Systems (FSMS) is an international standard for ensuring a robust food safety management system can be achieved by any organisation, especially for those within the food industry. ISO 22000 sets out the requirements and clauses that organisations must comply with to demonstrate their ability to control food safety hazards and ensure that their food is safe.

Over the past decades, food safety agencies like the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) have come up with food safety standards like the FSSC 22000, aiming to improve the food supply chains and food industry in general. In 2005, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) published the ISO 22000. It included many crucial elements from the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) and Prerequisite Programmes (PRPs).

Since then, most companies from many countries worldwide have adopted the ISO 22000 and recognised it as a reference for the Food Safety Management System. The latest revision was released in 2018 as the 2018 food safety management.

By being ISO 22000 certified, your organisation will demonstrate your commitment to providing quality, safety and assurance to all relevant stakeholders.

Benefits of ISO 22000 Food Safety Management Systems (FSMS) certification

There are many benefits that an organisation can achieve from being ISO 22000 certified. Here are the key benefits that will value add to your food services:

Trust and customer satisfaction can be increased

Within a food supply chain, many parties work together to ensure the smooth flow of food products from producers to consumers. There are many instances that potential food hazard risks can occur; thus, organisations need to identify and set critical control points to mitigate these risks.

By being ISO 22000 certified, it means that your organisation has a robust food safety management system in place to control food safety risks, ensuring quality and safety requirements are met.

From a consumer’s point of view, this provides assurance and satisfaction, which in the long run will increase purchasing volume and sales revenue for you as a business.

Able to mitigate legal complications

Adhering to the ISO 22000 standard will mean that your organisation is in regulatory compliance with the various laws and regulations within your places of operation.

This vastly reduces the risk of high legal costs and potential fines that may occur otherwise.

Increase organisational productivity and efficiency

ISO 22000 contains specific requirements and clauses that can help you increase your organisation’s productivity and efficiency through eliminating redundancies, risks and outdated operational procedures.

Enable continuous improvement of FSMS

ISO 22000 ensures that your food safety management system has an effective and efficient gathering of essential data for analysis and improvement. This would incentivise systematic data collection, enabling better organisational decisions and enhancements due to quality data.

Through the benefits mentioned above, your organisation will see substantial improvement in competitive and financial advantage in the long run.

Stendard's ISO 22000 consultant in Singapore

1. Identify the appropriate standard that applies to your foodservice establishments, like the ISO 22000 Food Safety Management Systems (FSMS);

2. Identify the scope and objective of your FSMS plan, with a detailed assessment of risks and opportunities;

3. Ensure that Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and HACCP are well-established;

4. Ensure that externally provided processes, products or services are well-managed;

5. Ensure the competency of your team regarding ISO 22000 standards and requirements;

6. Performing internal audit services with your team in preparation for the ISO 22000 certification; and

7. Recommending your team to third parties certification bodies providing ISO 22000 certification audit services.

Our consultants advise on which standard applies to your organisation

Our consulting team would be able to best advise which standards apply to your food service establishments, ensure appropriate compliance where necessary, and effectively integrate them to avoid unnecessary overlaps.

ISO 13485:2016
Quality Management
Systems (Medical Devices)

ISO 22000:2018
Food Safety Management Systems

ISO 27001:2022
Information Security Management Systems

ISO 22301:2019
Business Continuity Management Systems

SS 620:2016
Good Distribution Practices for Medical Devices(SG)

SS 444:2018
Hazards Analysis and Critical Control Points

EU Medical Devices Regulations (Upcoming)

FSMS Compliance

Our consultants help define the scope and objective of your Food Safety Management Systems (FSMS), with a detailed assessment of risks and opportunities.

We work closely with your team to develop an FSMS plan with minimal disruption to ongoing business activities. Building on existing processes and within your physical capacity, we ensure compliance with ISO 22000 standards by introducing processes as needed.

Our structured approach to implementing the FSMS plan provides a clear timeline for reaching project milestones.

Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)

Our consultants ensure that Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and HACCP are well-established

The 11 key requirements of the GMP regulation can be difficult for your team to keep track of. These include regulations covering the premises, equipment, ingredients, hygiene, pest control and many more.

In addition, your food establishments may have multiple food products being processed and manufactured, with each requiring a HACCP plan.

From identifying food safety hazards to establishing Critical Control Points (CCPs) with their Critical Limits and appropriate Operational Pre-requisite Programme (OPRP), our consultants will work closely with food establishment owners like yourself and your team, to ensure that your FSMS is ISO 22000-compliant.

With years of on-the-ground experience, our consultants would effectively make sure that implementation of these practices are set in place, making your food establishment set up a breeze.

Food Manufacturing & Distribution

Our consultants make sure that externally provided processes, products or services are well-managed

You may outsource some of your activities to another contract partner and keep only core business activities in-house. These activities may span the spectrum of the food supply chain, from the provision of raw materials to packaging and delivery.

From evaluating factory layouts to QC tests to be performed, verification of Pre-requisite Programmes (PRP) and Hazard Control Plans to handle unsafe food processes and take corrective actions, you can be assured that our broad experience provides comprehensive support for a spectrum of processes within the food chain.

Audit Preparation

Our consultants can assist in annual internal/mock audits

We understand the pressure to prepare for ISO 22000 audits conducted by external auditors.

Our consultants, experienced with seeing clients through certification audits, can perform independent audits to support your team with identifying any issues and rectifying any non-compliance in preparation for your ISO 22000 certification audits. These may be seen as pre-certification gap analyses or mock audits to highlight gaps in the FSMS that may need to be addressed.

Training and Competency

Our team ensures the competency of your team regarding ISO 22000 standards and requirements. Through a combination of the online e-learning course and the in-person training course to make sure everyone within your team, including food hygiene officers, QA/QC managers, etc. within the supply chain, understands the requirements ISO 22000 standards, as well as the application of your FSMS plan, processes and documents.

For our online e-learning academy, we have the following courses ready for you to attend at your own time and pace:

• ISO 22000 Food Safety Management Systems (FSMS) — In-depth look into the internationally recognised standard of food safety
• HACCP for Food Safety (Foundational course for ISO 22000) — Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) – Steps to reduce the risk of hazards
• GMP for Food Safety (Foundational course for ISO 22000) — Steps to fulfil fundamental operational requirements to enable safe food manufacturing processes

At the end of every course, receive a certificate with a unique ID that you can post it up on your LinkedIn with pride!

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the requirements for ISO 22000?

• Have a robust food safety management system policy developed by the management team
• Having policies in place to ensure your organisation will consistently comply with the standard
• Planning and designing of a management system, of which the details must be documented
• Have a management system to maintain and track the performance of the system
• Starting a food safety team made up of qualified individuals
• Have an emergency plan in case of an unexpected situation
• Define effective communication policies to facilitate external (e.g. suppliers, customers, regulatory) and internal stakeholders communication
• Abiding by the HACCP principles
• Have a traceability system for tracking and identifying products
• Establishing a corrective action system to control non-conforming products
• Maintain and document the procedures for the handling of withdrawal products
• Control and maintenance over measuring and monitoring devices
• Establishing and maintaining an internal audit program
• Continuous update and improvement of FSMS

How do I get ISO 22000 certified?

You must first ensure that your organisation can satisfy the above requirements. It is best to work with an ISO consultancy firm to fulfil the criteria. If you require any help, contact us, and we will respond to you as soon as possible.

After complying with all the requirements, the next step is to get your FSMS audited and approved by an accredited certification body.

What are the four major elements of ISO 22000?

The four major elements of ISO 22000 are:

• Interactive communication throughout the food chain
• Establishing a robust management system
• Having prerequisite programs in place
• Abiding by the principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)