11 posts tagged with "FSSC 22000"

I have spent years working in food safety, and during all that time I kept running into the same frustration: when a company has to comply with a food fraud requirement —under FSSC 22000, BRC, IFS or SQF— there is no clear reference methodology to lean on. HACCP has the Codex Alimentarius. TACCP has PAS 96. VACCP, however, had been left orphan.

After a lot of reading, writing, scrapping and starting over, I decided to close that gap. This week I published the Beira VACCP Framework (BVF) version 1.0, a complete, quantitative and auditable methodological guide to implement VACCP. And, just as importantly, I published it under a Creative Commons license so that any company, consultant, certification body or authority can use it without asking for permission.

This article is the introduction I wish someone had handed me ten years ago: what food fraud is, why it should matter, what problem the BVF solves and how it is structured.

If you work in the food industry, sooner or later you will encounter HACCP. Whether a customer requires it, you want to export, or you simply understand that food safety is non-negotiable, this article brings together everything you need to know to understand and implement the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points system.

Good Hygiene Practices (GHP) are, arguably, the most underestimated topic in the food industry. Many companies invest time and resources in obtaining certifications, documenting HACCP plans and meeting international standard requirements, yet overlook the most basic element: the hygienic conditions that make everything else work.

Some time ago, I read a theory called “broken windows”, proposed by criminologists James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling in the 1980s.
The central idea is simple but powerful: if a broken window in a building is not repaired, more windows will soon be broken. Not because some people are “window-breakers” and others “law-abiding,” but because disorder sends a signal that no one cares, which makes more people act without considering the rules.

July closes with major developments in the world of food safety. If your company is certified under schemes like ISO 22000 or FSSC 22000, or if you're currently working toward certification, this article will help you understand the most recent changes and keep your Food Safety Management System (FSMS) up to date.

In response to frequent inquiries about the control of documented information in a quality management system, today I will explain the correct and efficient way to manage it in your organization.

In a previous article, I highlighted all the advantages of implementing a quality management system based on the ISO 9001 standard. However, it surprises me to see how many companies settle for meeting the minimum requirements to maintain a valid certification.

I am convinced that certification should not be the primary concern for your company, and below you will understand why.

FSSC 22000 Version 5 has been published, and in this article, I will highlight the major changes in this new edition. It is important to note that I will focus on the changes that impact companies operating under FSSC 22000 Version 4.1.

If your company is part of the food industry and has not yet implemented a Food Safety system, it is crucial that you read this article. Below, I will explain why you are navigating in dangerous territory every day.

The decision to certify your company with an international standard is a crucial step to elevate your standards and evolve. While it's not a simple task, the results justify the effort and investment. The stages to obtain certification are as follows:

Food safety management systems, such as HACCP, ISO 22000, and FSSC 22000, are widely used in the food industry to ensure the safety of food products. Although these systems share the goal of ensuring product safety, there are key differences that may influence your choice when implementing one of them.