ISO 22000: Food Safety

ISO 22000 is the international standard for a food safety management system. It applies across the whole food chain and is built on HACCP principles.

Food producers, processors, packagers, and distributors, especially those exporting to Gulf and international markets that require certified food safety.

It opens export markets, satisfies regulator and buyer requirements, and demonstrates verifiable control of food safety hazards.

IraqCert maps your processes against ISO 22000 and HACCP, helps close gaps, and arranges the accredited audit. Certificates are verifiable on IAF CertSearch.

ISO 22000 requires three layers of control: prerequisite programmes that keep hygiene basics in place, a HACCP plan that controls food safety hazards at critical points, and a management system that ties both together across your operation. You must also trace products through your chain and communicate hazards to suppliers and customers. Auditors test all three layers in production, not just the paperwork.

HACCP alone is rarely enough when a buyer or export market asks for a certified system. ISO 22000 contains the HACCP principles and adds a full food safety management system covering management responsibility, communication, and continual improvement. Retail chains, oil and gas clients, and export markets usually ask for the certified system, which means ISO 22000. Certifying to ISO 22000 covers the HACCP requirement and more.

HACCP is a method for identifying and controlling food safety hazards, while ISO 22000 is an international standard that builds those principles into a certifiable food safety management system. ISO 22000 adds prerequisite programs, management commitment, and continual improvement. You can apply HACCP internally without a certificate. Only ISO 22000 gives you an accredited certificate that a buyer can verify.