Food safety best practice: a need-to-know update

The World Health Organisation estimates than one out of every 10 people falls ill and 420,000 people die from eating contaminated food each year – the linked food safety scares can cause severe economic and reputational loss for the companies involved, so BSI recommends that all food businesses adhere to the below structure of food safety management:

- Plan, implement, operate, maintain and update a food safety management system providing products and services that are safe, according to their intended use
- Demonstrate compliance with applicable statutory and regulatory food safety requirements
- Evaluate and assess mutually agreed customer food safety requirements and demonstrate conformity to them
- Effectively communicate food safety issues to interested parties within the food chain
- Ensure that the organization conforms to its stated food safety policy
- Demonstrate conformity to relevant interested parties
- Seek certification or registration of food safety management systems by an external organization or make a self-assessment or self-declaration of conformity to the standard

David Fatscher, head of sustainability and food at BSI said, “Small businesses, from the family-owned farm to the local fishmonger, know more than anyone the importance of produce being sourced from safe, trusted and reliable suppliers.

“Food safety scares can be devastating for any organization, but SMEs by their nature lack the financial firepower of bigger businesses to absorb shocks in an industry where a reputation for quality is paramount. ISO 22000 provides a globally-recognized framework for an organization of any size to implement a comprehensive food safety management system.

“A business implementing the standard is able to demonstrate to its customers and suppliers a commitment to providing safe foods and services.”

These new regulations affect every organisation in the food industry. To find out more, visit the BSI website