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AUTHOR

Rema Sunil

Managing Director

Safehand Foodtech Consultants,

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

 

Introduction

The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) is a non-profit association of industry experts committed to improving food safety along the value chain. Its major objectives are reduction in food safety risks by delivering equivalence and convergence between effective food safety management systems; manage costs in global food system by eliminating redundancy and improving operational efficiency; develop competencies and capacity building in food safety to create consistent and effective global food systems; and also provide a unique international stakeholder platform for collaboration, knowledge exchange and networking. FSSC 22000, SQF, BRC, Global GAP, Global Aquaculture Alliance Seafood, The International Featured Standard & Global Red Meat Standard comprise GFSI approved schemes. GFSI bench marks the various food safety standards against a basic set of criteria. Some of the most   commonly adopted standards by branded goods manufacturers are (FSSC 22000, BRC, SQF 2000 and IFS).

Food Safety System Certification (FSSC 22000)

FSSC 22000 is one of the benchmarked standards rising in popularity. FSSC 22000 applies to food manufacturers. FSSC 22000 uses the requirements in ISO 22000-2018 Food Safety System Certification and the ISO/TS 22002-x Series and additional requirements.

 

 

ISO 22000 and the ISO/TS 22002-1

ISO 22000 contains the requirements for the Food Safety Management System. ISO/TS 22002-x contains sector specific requirements for Prerequisite Programs for food manufacturers.

Benefits of FSSC22000

FSSC22000 has several benefits. It provides a good framework against which an organization can develop its food safety management system; with flexibility to choose the best way to control its own system and ensure food safety policy and objectives are being met. Include comprehensive requirements detailing how to conduct effective HACCP studies and HACCP plan. Also, it promotes continuous improvement in food safety.

BRC (British Retail Consortium)

The BRC (British Retail Consortium) has developed a set of Global Standards, which is an international product safety and quality certification programme. The BRC Global Food Standard was developed with the objective of specifying the safety, quality and operational criteria required for food manufacturers to comply with regulations and protect consumers. The requirements of Standard are as follows:

  • Senior Management Commitment and Continuous Improvement
  • Food Safety & Quality Management System
  • Site Standards
  • Product Control
  • Process Control
  • Personnel

It focusses on quality, as well as food safety and legality. The standard has descriptive requirements for process and hygiene control which provide clear guidelines as to how food safety should be addressed. It has a simple certification process which only requires an on-site audit, there is no requirement for a desk study step. It includes a voluntary recertification audit.