KEEPING FOOD SAFE FROM FARM TO FORK

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Transport and storage are inextricable elements of food safety management. New international guidance has just been published to help ensure safety at every stop along the food chain.

A key requirement of ISO 22000, one of the world’s most renowned International Standards for food chain safety, are prerequisite programmes (PRPs). These are basic conditions and activities that are necessary within the organization and throughout the food chain to maintain food safety. The ISO portfolio has a series of technical specifications (TS) dedicated to maintaining prerequisite programmes to assist in controlling food safety hazards in the manufacturing process.

The latest to be published is ISO/TS 22002-5, Prerequisite programmes on food safety – Part 5: Transport and storage, which outlines the requirements for PRPs for transport and storage in the food chain.

Aly Rappange, Convenor of the working group that developed the technical specification, said ISO/TS 22002-5 will help those involved in food transportation to protect the foods, ingredients, raw materials and packaging they are charged with, to ensure the goods arrive on our plates safely.

“It will enable a more harmonized approach to food safety along the food chain, that is easier to control and audit, resulting in reduced risks of contamination or spoiling,” she said.

ISO/TS 22002-5 is one of a series of six technical specifications for PRPs on food safety aimed at helping users meet the requirements of ISO 22000.

The series comprises:

  • ISO/TS 22002-1, Prerequisite programmes on food safety – Part 1: Food manufacturing
  • ISO/TS 22002-2, Prerequisite programmes on food safety – Part 2: Catering
  • ISO/TS 22002-3, Prerequisite programmes on food safety – Part 3: Farming
  • ISO/TS 22002-4, Prerequisite programmes on food safety – Part 4: Food packaging manufacturing
  • ISO/TS 22002-6, Prerequisite programmes on food safety – Part 6: Feed and animal food production

ISO/TS 22002-5 was developed by working group WG 10, Transport and storage, which works under ISO technical committee ISO/TC 34, Food products, subcommittee SC 17, Management systems for food safety. The secretariat of this subcommittee is held by Danish Standards (DS), the ISO member for Denmark.

By Clare Naden