According to a view food is like the car. If you don’t know how to use it, it could turn to a dangerous weapon in your hands… Virtuous Triad knows the field of foods in industry, retail and foodservice level very well. We also know very well food science and when we design a HACCP study or an ISO 22000 system we know where exactly to pay attention. Our job is not to bring you just another system from the “pack” but to build one which suits your company needs best!
HACCP / ISO 22000
What is HACCP?
In very simple terms, H.A.C.C.P. is a system which food businesses use to manage food safety. It is a way in which a food business should control its activities so as the final product will be safe for the consumer. H.A.C.C.P. is the acronym of the words Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points. Its origins are considered around 1959-1960 when N.A.S.A. asked from the famous food company Pillsbury, to produce some foods specifically designed for astronauts in order to assure the safety of the mission (for historical reasons it is quite interesting to watch the first advertizing about such product coming out from this cooperation between NASA & Pillsbury, you can find it here).
What exactly ISO 22000 is?
ISO 22000 in very simple terms too is a system with which food businesses manage food safety. It is considered as H.A.C.C.P.’s evolution. We could say that ISO 22000 combines H.A.C.C.P. with ISO 9000 (quality management system). In ISO 22000 not only H.A.C.C.P. plan is audited but also the so called “prerequisite programs” (programs – processes which are the basic environmental and operating conditions that are necessary for the production of safe and wholesome foods e.g. pest control, food safety training of the employees, cleaning & sanitizing etc).
I have a food business. Which of these two should I have?
Food Law is enforcing the application of H.A.C.C.P. or if you like the term better, the application of a system which manages the food safety and is based in H.A.C.C.P. principles. Therefore every food business should apply H.A.C.C.P.. ISO 22000 is not obligatory. It becomes necessary though when a food business decides to walk the road of certification in order to prove the safety of its products / services. If the food business acquires a certification in food safety, then this will be the ISO 22000.
What is certification?
Certification is essentially the process of publicly attesting that a specified quality or standard has been achieved or exceeded. Is a process in which a business, interested in acquiring a certificate, is audited by an external 3rd body (certification body). In order to get the certificate the audit should be successful. The audit is taking in consideration WHAT the company does in relation to WHAT is defined in specific standard (in the case of food safety the standard is the “ISO 22000”).
How can Virtuous Triad help you?
Virtuous Triad as a food business consultant in HACCP / ISO 22000 can help you to install and implement your own-self control system. To be more specific here are the basic steps:
– Gap analysis
– Personnel training in food safety
– Risk identification & assessment (That’s where the heart of the system beats!)
– Documentation of the system
– Implementation of the system
– Internal audits (plus internal audiotrs training)
– Management review
– Implementation of the system review (from this point onward and if all are ok the company can go for certification )
– pre – audit
– 1st stage audit
– 2nd stage audit
– Certification
– Continuous improvement of the system (added value consulting and training services)
All you have to do is to contact us and let us help you in achieving your business objectives!