Food Safety: An Unforgiving Challenge

In the food industry, a failure in food safety can have catastrophic consequences: product recalls, food poisoning, loss of consumer trust, and facility closures. ISO 22000 and HACCP form the foundation for controlling these risks.

HACCP: The Fundamentals

HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) is not a standard – it is a methodology. Originally developed by NASA to ensure the safety of astronaut food, it is built on 7 principles and 12 steps.

The 7 Principles of HACCP

Principle 1: Hazard Analysis Identify all potential hazards at each stage of the manufacturing process:

Biological hazards (bacteria, viruses, parasites, molds)
Chemical hazards (pesticide residues, allergens, cleaning products)
Physical hazards (foreign bodies, metal, glass, plastic)

Principle 2: Determine the CCPs Identify the Critical Control Points (CCPs): the steps where a control measure is essential to prevent, eliminate, or reduce a hazard to an acceptable level.

Common CCP examples:

Pasteurization / sterilization (temperature)
Metal detection / X-ray inspection
Rapid cooling
pH / water activity

Principle 3: Establish Critical Limits For each CCP, set measurable thresholds:

Minimum cooking temperature: 72 C for 15 seconds
Chlorine level in rinse water: 0.5 - 2 ppm
No metal particles > 1.5 mm

Principle 4: Monitoring System Define how to monitor each CCP in real time:

What to measure, how, how often, and by whom
Continuous or batch recording

Principle 5: Corrective Actions What to do when a critical limit is exceeded:

Isolate the affected product
Correct the process
Evaluate the product (release, rework, destruction)
Root cause analysis and recurrence prevention

Principle 6: Verification Confirm that the HACCP system is working:

Microbiological analyses
Internal audits of the HACCP plan
Review of records
Calibration of measuring instruments

Principle 7: Documentation Maintain all documentation:

HACCP plan
CCP monitoring records
Corrective actions
Verification results

The 12 Implementation Steps

Assemble the HACCP team
Describe the product
Identify the intended use
Establish the flow diagram
On-site confirmation of the flow diagram
Conduct hazard analysis (Principle 1)
Determine the CCPs (Principle 2)
Establish critical limits (Principle 3)
Set up monitoring (Principle 4)
Define corrective actions (Principle 5)
Establish verification procedures (Principle 6)
Compile documentation (Principle 7)

ISO 22000: The Management Framework

ISO 22000 integrates HACCP into a comprehensive management system. It adds several essential dimensions:

Prerequisite Programs (PRPs)

Before even discussing CCPs, you must have baseline conditions under control:

Infrastructure and facilities: Hygienic design, traffic flow, zone separation
Cleaning and sanitation: Validated cleaning plans, effectiveness checks
Pest control: Rodent and insect control plan, monitoring
Personnel hygiene: Uniforms, handwashing, hygiene training
Purchasing management: Supplier specifications, incoming inspection
Cold chain: Temperature monitoring, traceability
Water management: Potability, regular analyses
Waste management: Segregation, removal, no cross-contamination

Traceability

ISO 22000 requires complete traceability:

Upstream traceability: Where raw materials come from (supplier, batch, date)
Internal traceability: Which batch of raw material went into which batch of finished product
Downstream traceability: Who received which batch of finished product

In the event of a crisis, you must be able to identify within hours all affected products and all impacted customers.

Communication and Crisis Management

The standard requires clear communication processes:

Internal communication: Between the HACCP team and operators
External communication: With suppliers, customers, authorities
Emergency management: Recall/withdrawal procedure, crisis cell

ISO 22000 vs BRC vs IFS

Criterion	ISO 22000	BRC	IFS
Scope	Entire food chain	Retail supplier focused	Retail supplier focused
Structure	HLS (ISO)	Proprietary	Proprietary
Scoring	Conformity	A, B, C, D	Score %
Retail requirement	Sometimes sufficient	Required by UK retailers	Required by FR/DE retailers
HACCP	Integrated	Integrated + enhanced	Integrated + enhanced
Food safety culture	Mentioned	Dedicated chapter	Dedicated chapter

Our recommendation: If you supply European retail, BRC and/or IFS are generally required. ISO 22000 is an excellent foundation if your customers do not specifically demand those schemes.

Classic Food Safety Mistakes

Confusing PRPs and CCPs: A cleaning plan is a PRP, not a CCP. Do not dilute your HACCP plan with dozens of false CCPs.
Non-measurable critical limits: “Acceptable product appearance” is not a critical limit. “Core temperature > 72 C” is.
Unreliable paper-based monitoring: Temperature logs that are always identical down to the minute are suspicious. Invest in automated recording systems.
Overlooking allergens: Allergen management (cross-contamination, labeling) is a critical issue that is often underestimated.
Neglecting food safety culture: Documentary compliance is not enough. Your operators must understand the “why” behind every hygiene rule.

Conclusion

Food safety is a responsibility that leaves no room for approximation. HACCP provides the methodology; ISO 22000 provides the management framework. Together, they give you the means to control food safety hazards in a structured and demonstrable way.

The investment is worthwhile: beyond compliance, you are protecting the trust of your customers and the longevity of your business.

Betterfly supports food industry companies in implementing and monitoring their food safety management system, with integrated HACCP management, traceability, and audit tools. Request a demo to discover our approach.