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Benefits of Food Safety Management System ISO 22000 to the Industry
What is ISO 22000?
ISO is a network of the national standards institutes of 156
countries, on the basis of one member per country, with a
Central Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland, that coordinates the
system. ISO is a non-governmental organization: its members are
not.
Nevertheless, ISO occupies a special position between the public
and private sectors. This is because, on the one hand, many of
its member institutes are part of the governmental structure of
their countries, or are mandated by their government. On the
other hand, other members have their roots uniquely in the
private sector, having been set up by national partnerships of
industry associations.
Therefore, ISO is able to act as a bridging organization in
which a consensus can be reached on solutions that meet both the
requirements of business and the broader needs of society.
What ISO's name means?
ISO means "International Organization for Standardization". It
is derived from the Greek isos, meaning "equal". Therefore,
whatever the country, whatever the language, the short form of
the organization's name is always ISO.
How it all started?
International standardization Association (ISA) began in the
electrotechnical field in 1906. ISA's activities came to an end
in 1942. In 1946, delegates from 25 countries met in London and
decided to create a new international organization, of which the
object would be "to facilitate the international coordination
and unification of industrial standards". The new organization,
ISO, officially began operations on 23 February 1947.
What International standardization means?
International standardization means consensus agreements between
national delegations representing all the economic stakeholders
concerned - suppliers, users, government regulators and other
interest groups, such as consumers. They agree on specifications
and criteria to be applied consistently in the classification of
materials, in the manufacture and supply of products, in testing
and analysis, in terminology and in the provision of services.
How ISO standards benefit society?
For businesses, the widespread adoption of International
Standards means that suppliers can base the development of their
products and services on specifications that have wide
acceptance in their sectors. This, in turn, means that
businesses using International Standards are increasingly free
to compete on many more markets around the world.
How ISO standards benefit customers?
The worldwide compatibility of technology which is achieved when
products and services are based on International Standards
brings them an increasingly wide choice of offers, and they also
benefit from the effects of competition among suppliers. For
consumers, conformity of products and services to International
Standards provides assurance about their quality, safety and
reliability. How ISO standards benefit trade officials? For
trade officials negotiating the emergence of regional and global
markets, International Standards create "a level playing field"
for all competitors on those markets. The existence of divergent
national or regional standards can create technical barriers to
trade, even when there is political agreement to do away with
restrictive import quotas and the like.
International Standards
are the technical means by which political trade agreements can
be put into practice.
How ISO standards benefit developing countries?
For developing countries, International Standards that represent
an international consensus on the state of the art constitute an
important source of technological know-how. By defining the
characteristics that products and services will be expected to
meet on export markets, International Standards give developing
countries a basis for making the right decisions when investing
their scarce resources and thus avoid squandering them.
How ISO benefits everyone?
International Standards can contribute to the quality of life in
general by ensuring that the transport, machinery and tools we
use are safe.
How ISO benefits planet?
International Standards on air, water and soil quality, and on
emissions of gases and radiation, can contribute to efforts to
preserve the environment and achieve sustainable development.
How ISO benefit governments?
For governments, International Standards provide the
technological and scientific bases underpinning health, safety
and environmental legislation.
What are the hallmarks of the ISO brand? Equal footing Every
participating member has the right to take part in the
development of any standard which it judges to be important to
its country's economy. No matter what the size or strength of
that economy, each participating member in ISO has one vote.
ISO's activities are thus carried out in a democratic framework
where each country is on an equal footing to influence the
direction of ISO's work at the strategic level, as well as the
technical content of its individual standards.
Voluntary
ISO standards are voluntary. As a non-governmental organization,
ISO has no legal authority to enforce their implementation. A
certain percentage of ISO standards - mainly those concerned
with health, safety or the environment - has been adopted in
some countries as part of their regulatory framework, or is
referred to in legislation for which it serves as the technical
basis.
Market-driven
ISO develops only those standards for which there is a market
requirement. The work is carried out by experts from the
industrial, technical and business sectors which have asked for
the standards, and which subsequently put them to use. These
experts may be joined by others with relevant knowledge, such as
representatives of government agencies, consumer organizations,
academia and testing laboratories.
Consensus
Although ISO standards are voluntary, the fact that they are
developed in response to market demand, and are based on
consensus among the interested parties, ensures widespread
applicability of the standards.
Worldwide
ISO standards are technical agreements which provide the
framework for compatible technology worldwide. Developing
technical consensus on this international scale is a major
operation. In all, there are some 3 000 ISO technical groups
(technical committees, subcommittees, working groups etc.) in
which some 50 000 experts participate annually to develop ISO
standards.
About the author:
Dr. Pattron is a Public health Scientist, Ministry of health,
Trinidad.
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