ISO Updates New Food Safety Certification Standards for World Food Safety Day
In honor of World Food Safety Day 2022, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has published updates to its standards on food safety management systems (Parts 1 and 2). The publication of ISO 22003–1:2022 and ISO 22003–2:2022 revises the requirements for the accreditation of certification bodies that serve the food safety industry. With the updated standards, ISO aims to harmonize the requirements for third-party audits of food safety management systems (FSMS) (Part 1) or food safety systems (FSS) (Part 2) for food businesses and service providers throughout the supply chain.
The new ISO 22003 Parts 1 and 2 harmonize the approach for FSMS and FSS certification by using common terms and definitions; integrating the audit approach for FSS schemes; and establishing common, revised, normative annexes for food chain categories (Annex A), minimum audit duration calculations (Annex B), and competence requirements (Annex C) for food safety auditors and other FSMS and FSS certification personnel. The key normative elements set forth in Annexes A, B, and C are minimum requirements that FSMS and FSS certification programs may augment or modify, but not diminish.