Emergence of ISO 22000 and PAS 220:2008

Given worries about safety and the emerging standards ISO, the international body responsible for standardization, decided to produce a safety standard covering the entire supply chain. The ISO 22000 was launched in 2005 in order to meet this requirement. ISO 22000 has become one of the most recognized global food safety standards. It lists over 60 codes of practice and guideline documents associated with the food sector. Despite this, it also has its limitations, and has often been quoted as being non user-friendly. Some have argued that the requirements it places are too high.
Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 220 is a new complementary standard to ISO 22000. It has been designed to address the technical limitations around PRPs in ISO 22000 for the food manufacturing sector. PAS 220:2008 was developed by BSI and sponsored by Danone, Kraft Foods, Nestlé and Unilever through the Confederation of the Food and Drink Industries of the EU (CIAA). Other stakeholders involved in the development process included representatives from the Food and Drink Federation (FDF), McDonald's, General Mills Europe, and certification bodies.
FSSC 22000 is a new global food safety scheme which brings together ISO 22000 and PAS 220 certification for the food manufacturing industry. The scheme has been designed to meet the GFSI's benchmarking requirements. This new scheme has been looked upon favorably as it is believed that as companies are already used to working with ISO standards and are familiar with the risk and management systems based approach adopted by ISO 22000 and PAS 220, they may find it easier to align with these rather than with other standards. It remains to be seen if this system is effective.
 Ref: www.ezinearticles.com

PAS SUMMARY

“PAS 220 provides a common set of pre-requisite programs that can be used by any food manufacturer who wishes to establish an ISO 22000 certified food safety management system,” comments Steve Mould, Technical Author of PAS 220 and Worldwide Quality Chain Management Systems Program Manager at Kraft Foods. “What sets this standard apart from others is the wide consultation and public reviews that were conducted by BSI during its development. This is a standard that the industry has created by working together.”

PAS 220 details the PRPs used by food and beverage manufacturers and is intended to be used in conjunction with ISO 22000. Its focus is to ensure that processes are in place to minimize, mitigate or eliminate potential food safety hazards from affecting the products, including product contamination, food safety hazard levels and the product processing environment.

PAS 220 addresses concerns that existed with ISO 22000 and is designed, in combination with ISO 22000, to bridge the gap between ISO 22000 and the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) requirements. GFSI was launched in 2000 with the mission: 'Continuous improvement in food safety management systems to ensure confidence in the delivery of safe food to consumers.'

Covering important aspects of food safety which can be often overlooked in the food manufacturing sector such as warehouse requirements, rework, food defense, biovigilance and bioterrorism, the publication of PAS 220 will substantially strengthen ISO 22000 and enhance initiatives to harmonize global food safety standards.