ISO 22000, and OSHA Certification Process

 ISO 22000

Food producers all over the world have a responsibility to make sure that their products are not harmful to consumers. Unsafe food can cause serious and fatal problems. In order to help them with this, the ISO 22000 food safety management system was developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

ISO 22000 helps food producers to identify and control food safety hazards and ensure that their products are safe for public consumption. In addition it helps products to cross country borders and bring to people the food that they can trust. ISO 22000 applies to any organization in the food chain, from farm to fork. 

In simple words, you must take all possible actions to make sure that your foods are safe to use. though this is the simple meaning there are formal guidelines as mentioned below to follow in order to obtain the ISO 22000 certification.

• Develop a Food Safety Policy for the organization. You can refer some reputed companies such as Nestle and Coca-cola for food safety policy. 
• State company objectives which inline with food safety policy. 
• Appoint a group of qualified individuals as a Food Safety Team.
• Define communication methods so as to ensure effective communication with external (regulatory, customers, suppliers, and others) and internal communication.
• Have an emergency plan for the organization.
• Develop a Food Safety Management System (FSMS) and record all activities. 
• Hold management review meetings where the performance of the Food Safety Management System will be evaluated.
• Provide adequate and up to date resources for the effective operation of the Food Safety Management System. These include trained and qualified personnel, sufficient infrastructure, effective tools, and optimal work environment to ensure food safety.
• Implement Prerequisite Programs like construction and layout of building, layout of premises and workspace, availability of utilities - air, water, energy, and waste disposal.
• Follow HACCP principles.
• Set up a traceability system for identification of product.You can use batch numbers, bar-code, or any other serial number for this. 
• Set up a corrective action system and control of nonconforming product.
• Maintain a documented procedure for handling withdrawal of product.
• Maintain monitoring and measuring devices in good condition with relevant certifications.
• Conduct an internal audit program.
• Update and improve the Food Safety Management System continuously. 

As mentioned above ISO 22000 required a documented Food Safety Management System for their organisation. This system simply addresses the following points:

• Availability of Effective Prerequisite Programs that ensure a clean sanitary environment.
• A Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Plan that will be implemented to identify, prevent, and eliminate food safety hazards.
• Documented food safety management system processes that will be followed when managing food safety throughout the organization. 

ISO is developing additional food safety management standards that are related to ISO 22000. These standards will be collectively known as the ISO 22000 family of standards. Currently, this family of standards consists of the following standards:

• ISO 22000 - Food safety management systems.
• ISO 22001 - Guidelines on the application of ISO 9001:2000 for the food and drink industry.
• ISO/TS 22002- Prerequisite programmes on food safety.
• ISO TS 22003 - Guidelines for bodies providing audit and certification of food safety management systems.
• ISO TS 22004 - Guideline to application of ISO 22000:2005.
• ISO 22005 - Guidelines for traceability in the feed and food chain.
• ISO 22006 - Quality management systems.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA

OSHA is an important as well as somewhat easy certificate to obtain for any organization. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issue guidelines which are for employers to follow in order to protect their employees from work related hazards. Therefore OSHA's duty is to ensures that employees are working in a safe and healthful environment. There are different OSHA standards for different industries, for example,

• OSHA standards for construction work.
• OSHA standards for maritime operations.
• OSHA standards for general industry (which applies to most worksites)

In general, all of these standards direct for establishing safe practices within the organization which will eventually increase the safety and health condition of employees. if you follow general conditions which are mentioned below in your organization, it will not be difficult to get the OSHA certificate for your organization. 

• provide fall protection. you can cover all trenches, display warning signs and provide fall protection equipment for employees. 
• prevent infectious diseases.  
• prevent unsafe exposure to harmful substances like asbestos or chemicals. provide relevant personal protective equipment (PPE).  
• put guards on dangerous machines, specially moving machines. 
• provide formal training for employees who are performing high risk works.
• keep accident record book and update with preventive actions for all kind of previous accidents.
• provide necessary sanitary facilities such as clean toilets and bathrooms.

If you can make the organization environment as per all the above general OSHA guidelines, you will be qualified to obtain OSHA Certification. These standards are constantly updated. You can get a full list of current OSHA standards from their website.

How to Obtain GAP and GMP Certificates for your Products

GAP    (Good Agricultural Practices)

Global G.A.P. is a private sector organisation that develops and establishes voluntary standards for the certification of agricultural products around the world. Their mission is to establish a set of standards that:

• Facilitate Good Agricultural Practices.
• Minimize the detrimental effects of farming operations on the environment. 
• Aim at reducing the use of chemical usage.
• Ensures the safety of agricultural workers as well as animals.
• Ensures that vegetables and fruits are produced, packed, handled, and stored as safely as possible in order to minimize risks of food contamination by microbial organisms.

Good agricultural practices refers to the basic environmental and operational conditions necessary for the production of safe, wholesome fruits and vegetables. They are actions taken by produce farmers to reduce the risk of microbial contamination in their farm products.

What are the Good Agricultural Practices?

• Buying animals of known disease status only and control their introduction into the farm. 
• Making sure the transportation of animals on and off the farm does not introduce diseases. 
• Using chemicals according to directions or as instructed by chemist. 
• Using veterinary medicines as prescribed by veterinarians only when treating animals. 
• Making sure the nutritional needs of animals are met. 
• Making sure that the water used is from a good safe source. 
• Ensuring proper disposal of waste. 
• Ensuring that the packing and refrigerators are well maintained and not a potential source of contamination.
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 5 Steps to Get Certified

1. Download the GLOBAL G.A.P. Standard documents and checklists that valid for your farm or product from GLOBAL G.A.P’s Document Centre.
2. Search available G.A.P certification organisations in your country and select one.ou can find a full list of GLOBAL G.A.P. approved certification bodies on the GLOBAL G.A.P’s Certified Bodies page. Register there and you will get a GLOBAL G.A.P. Number (GGN).
3. Do a self-assessment using the checklist you obtained and correct all the standards you do not comply with. You may get assistance from a GLOBAL G.A.P. licensed farm assurer.
4. Schedule an appointment with the GLOBAL G.A.P. approved certification body that you chose, and an inspector will then conduct the first on-site inspection.
5. Once you are successful, meaning you comply with all the standard’s requirements, you will receive a GLOBAL G.A.P. Integrated Farm Assurance Standard Certificate for the relevant version and scope which is valid for one year.

Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)

Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) is a system of processes, procedures, and documentation that facilitates production of quality products all over the globe. It makes sure that such products are consistently produced.

GMP takes into consideration all the aspects of production of a product, from its raw materials, premises, and equipment to the training and personal hygiene of staff. It consists of detailed written procedures which are essential for every process that could affect the quality of the finished product.

GMP’s mission 

• Outline a quality system that reduces or prevents errors.
• Ensure products are safe.
• Prevent and better manage contamination and cross-contamination.
• Prevent false information, mislabeling and adulteration.
• Provide a better understanding and comply with the relevant laws and regulations.
• Enhance the international credibility and public image.

These GMP guidelines and regulations ensures that manufacturers, processors, and packagers of drugs, medical devices, and food take proactive measures to ensure that their products are safe, pure, and effective. GMP guidelines and regulations outlines a number of issues that can influence the safety and quality of a product. some these guidelines are;

Hygiene:  Production institutions must maintain a clean and hygienic manufacturing area. There should be a proper cleaning mechanism and waste disposal method.

Controlled Environmental Conditions: You must Prevent product contamination and cross contamination from outside. 

Manufacturing processes: All the manufacturing processes should be closely monitored for errors, defined well, and controlled.

Instructions and procedures: All instruction should be mentioned clearly, and Straightforward. Otherwise some miscommunication may occur and that is not good for the process. 

Operators: Adequately trained to carry out works and document procedures.

Records that demonstrate compliance: All the safety, cleaning, operations and other process should be recorded during manufacturing process either manually or by machines/software. This will help to understand the errors and and trends. 

Details of the manufacturer: (including distribution) that enable the complete history of a batch to be traced are retained in a comprehensible and accessible form.

The distribution of the products: This is not significantly affect to the quality. How ever it is helpful to recall any batch of the product due to error or quality issues.

Complaints: All the complaints are examined and investigated, and appropriate measures are taken with respect to the defective products and to prevent recurrence. 

If you have completed all above compliance in acceptable level, you can apply for GMP certification via your GMP certification agent. They will check and issue you the certificate.