FSSC 22000 harmonises certification requirements as food-service firms look for unifying standard
Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance (LRQA) has been accredited to deliver a new certification scheme for food-safety management systems.
Food safety is a global concern, not only because of the importance for public health, but also because of its impact on international trade. Effective and harmonised food-safety systems need to manage and ensure the safety and suitability of food in each link of the supply chain.
LRQA has been accredited to deliver FSSC 22000 -- a complete certification scheme for food-safety management systems. LRQA is one of the first organisations to receive United Kingdom Accreditation Services (UKAS) approval and has already issued its first accredited FSSC 22000 client certificate.
“Across the food supply chain, organisations are facing tougher stakeholder demands, rapidly changing business conditions and increased competition," said Cor Groenveld, LRQA’s Global Product Manager for food services, who is one of the world's leading food-safety experts. "As a result, they are seeking more effective control of operations, improved performance and better management of risk throughout their business. The FSSC 22000 accreditation is a further endorsement of LRQA’s competence, impartiality and ability to add more value to organisations across the food sector.”
There is an increasing need for synchronised certification of food-safety systems to create confidence that all necessary measures have been taken to ensure food safety in previous links of the chain. As a result, FSSC 22000 has drawn the interest of more than a few blue chip food-services companies, not least of which is Cargill, the internationally recognised provider of food, agricultural and risk-management products and services.
"Having a single, trusted partner is very important for Cargill. We are rolling out FSSC 22000 to over 1,000 plants in 67 countries," Mark Overland, Director of Global Certification for Cargill said "We feel that having LRQA delivering a high level of consistency is the best approach to ensure that we are delivering on our promise to our customers.”
The scheme is using existing standards for certification (ISO 22000, PAS 220 and ISO 22003) and the certification will be accredited under the standard ISO guide 17021. Manufacturers that are already certified against ISO 22000 will only need an additional review against BSI PAS 220 to meet this certification scheme.
Groenveld and LRQA will be hosting two webinars in the coming weeks that focus on the most relevant issues for organisations throughout the food supply chain. The first of these will be at 0900hrs GMT on February 3 entitled: Safety in the food supply chain: where are we now? The second will be on March 24, again at 0900hrs GMT, entitled: An update on FSSC 22000. Both webinars will also be available on demand via www.lrqa.com.
LRQA is also a premium sponsor of one of the biggest events in the food-safety calendar – The Global Food Safety Conference 2011 -- organised by the Consumer Goods Forum and called: ‘Creating a Global Food Safety Culture’. It will take place in London from February 16 to 18 this year and will feature a presentation from Groenveld on the link between management systems and brand reputation. (lrqa)
