What’s the difference between HACCP and ISO 22000?

You know something is difficult to decipher when even a google search won’t lead to the answer you’re looking for. A quick look around the internet brings with it many different articles and examples but not quite the information needed for someone who wants a specific answer to the question: what’s the difference between HACCP and ISO 22000? Today, we are going to give you the answer and bring an end to your search.

What is HACCP?

HACCP, or Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point to give it its full name, is a food safety management system first developed in the 1960s by scientists for NASA when they wanted to produce food with zero defects for astronauts. And in the last thirty years HACCP has been used by food industries to help control and prevent risks associated with hazards which can cause food to be unsafe. Whilst HACCP is used in a number of different industries, the system is always relevant to any business involved in the food chain including anything from a small cafe or home kitchen to much larger food manufacturing plants. HACCP’s system is now accepted and used worldwide and has become a key legislative requirement for food industries in countries across multiple continents.

Introduction of ISO 22000

Around 20 years ago numerous standards had been developed in multiple privatised and national organisations around the globe and the world of food safety had become a convoluted one. This meant different companies started using their own in-house codes when auditing their suppliers, and because they all had different criteria for their audits it made it really difficult for suppliers to meet requirements globally.

With the confusion the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) set about creating an auditable standard for Food Safety Management System (FSMS) and they came up with ISO 22000. It was quickly adopted by organisations around the world and provided defined requirements that applied to food producers, manufacturers and any business involved in the food supply chain.

So what’s the difference?

Firstly, HACCP is a food safety management system that businesses can use whilst ISO 22000 is a food safety management standard businesses need to meet. In addition, more differences are listed below:

ISO 22000 enables a food safety management system to be developed by external experts for businesses and this includes implementing and verifying all activities involved in the system.

ISO 22000 requires risk analysis to evaluate all food safety standards identified.

HACCP utilises the traditional idea of control measures falling into two groups; prerequisites and measures applied at critical control points. For ISO 22000, these ideas were reorganised by adding a group of control measures named operational prerequisite programmes.

ISO 22000 requires there to be a monitoring system and planned corrective actions.

ISO 22000 requires outcomes to be analysed and improved after monitoring HACCP plans.

Whilst allergen control is required in ISO 22000 it isn’t mentioned or needed in HACCP.

With ISO 22000 there has to be continual improvement and the management system needs to be kept up-to-date.

Worldwide, the food industry faces many obstacles regarding food safety and it’s so important to make sure these are minimised with an effective food safety management system.

This content was originally published here.