HACCP or ISO 22000?

HACCP and ISO 22000 are both food safety standards that any food production or company can implement. Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point was initially invented in 1960s by the NASA, working for Pillsbury Company, to ensure zero defects food products for their astronauts. But the first HACCP standard was issued in late 80’s by the US. Advisory Committee on the Microbiological criteria for Food (NACMCF). Since then it has been widely and successfully applied by the food industry and by the regulatory authorities to prevent and control risks associated with potential hazards.

By the early 2000s, different private and national organizations in the world started to develop their own standards and use it as an in house standard to audit their premises and suppliers. The suppliers found it very difficult to maintain as there were lots of standards running in the global market. So by 2005 the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) developed a common standard comprising HACCP principles, application steps as described by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and elements of the ISO 9001: 2000 standard. ISO 22000 is an international standard that can be applied to any kind of food industry and it is applicable worldwide.

What is HACCP?

HACCP is a management system in which food safety is addressed through the analysis and control of biological, chemical, and physical hazards from raw material production, procurement and handling, to manufacturing, distribution and consumption of the finished product. HACCP includes a wide range of measures that are designed to prevent problems before they occur and for correcting deviations through a systematic way promptly and as soon as they are detected. These preventive control systems with documentation and verification are recognized widely by scientific authorities and international organizations as the most effective approach towards producing safe food. Further it also enables the producers, processors, distributors, exporters of food products to effectively and efficiently utilize technical resources for assuring complete food safety.

What is ISO 22000?

ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is a framework that combines prerequisite programs, the HACCP principles, application steps as described by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and elements of the ISO 9001: 2000 standard. ISO 22000 defines a set of general food safety management requirements that apply not only to food producers and manufacturers, but to all the organizations that participate in the food supply chain. Any industry which is related to food grains, food processors, food warehouses, food processing equipment, food packaging materials, and food cleaning agents, food additives and food ingredients can apply for ISO 22000.

What is the difference?

• HACCP is a food safety management system that businesses can use whereas ISO 22000 is a food safety management system standard that business need to meet.
• HACCP is one part of ISO 22000.
• HACCP is a risk management tool recognized internationally for use in the proactive management of food safety issues whereas ISO 22000 incorporates the HACCP principles and puts these in a broader framework which is aligned with generally recognized principles of Management Systems that drive continual improvement of performance.
• HACCP will only make sure that the product is safe from any hazard whereas ISO 22000 makes sure your system is effective, improving continually.
• ISO 22000 ensures food safety in all areas of food production.