ISO 22000:2018 food safety management

ISO 22000 is an international standard designed to ensure safe food supply chains worldwide. It provides a framework of internationally harmonised requirements for the global approach that is needed. The current edition is ISO 22000:2018, which replaced ISO 22000:2005 and was amended in 2024 to address climate change.

A major benefit is that ISO 22000 makes it easier for organisations to implement the Codex Alimentarius HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) system for food hygiene in a harmonised way that does not vary with the country or the food product.

ISO 22000 lets every type of organisation in the food chain implement a food safety management system: farms, feed producers, primary producers, food manufacturers, transport and storage operators and subcontractors, retail and food service outlets, and related businesses such as producers of equipment, packaging material, cleaning agents, additives and ingredients.

Food safety management systems that conform to ISO 22000 can be certified, which answers the food sector's growing demand for certified suppliers. The standard can also be implemented purely for its benefits, without certification.

HACCP is a widely recognised product safety principle used in food manufacturing, processing, treatment and service organisations. Implementing HACCP is a legal requirement for the food industry in many countries.

Combined with a quality management system, HACCP lets a food organisation manage the safety of its products within an internationally recognised management system structure. HACCP principles require the critical control points in manufacturing or service processes to be identified, and controls for food safety to be set up at those points.