Which Food Safety Standard is best?
It will come as no surprise to you to know there isn’t going to be simple answer to this question – cutting to the chase different food safety standards are most appropriate in different contexts; geographical location, prevailing regulatory demands, product type etc.
But it is safe to say that the different standards have idiosyncrasies that define them. Let’s look at three of the most popular standards in UK, BRCGS issue 9, ISO 22000:2018 and FSSC 22000 version 6, and discuss the key elements that distinguish them.
BRCGS issue 9 is widely recognised as the most prescriptive of these standards and is specified by many retailers as a requirement from their suppliers, giving significant attention to supplier management.
Its last few issues have included clauses dealing with food safety culture in recognition of the impact that poor organisational leadership can have on the safe manufacture of products – media attention has been given to numerous food safety incidents over the last 10 years.
It demands the effective use of HACCP, includes requirements of Good Manufacturing Process (GMP) such as facility design, cleanliness, sanitation and pest control and is a certified scheme, meaning third party audits are required to achieve certification.
As you’d expect it comprehensively deals with food safety, quality, compliance and food integrity and is widely appreciated by retailers and producers alike.
The BRCGS standard is also GFSI (Global Food Standard Initiative) recognised ensuring confidence for those with international aspirations.
FSSC 22000 (Food Safety System Certification) is a certification scheme developed for food manufacturers.
In its latest iteration, version 6, released in 2023, the standard incorporates the latest updates to ISO 22000:2018 and includes additional requirements related to food fraud prevention, food defence, and food safety culture.
Similar to the BRCGS standard, FSSC 22000 is also a GFSI recognised scheme and as you’d expect features many of the same elements as the BRCGS standard.
This leaves only ISO 22000:2018 to compare. Well first comment would be it is produced by ISO – and as such carries the expectation of performance that the world’s premier standards organisation will bring.
Again, the fundamentals, like being based on the principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), incorporating Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and prerequisite programs feature highly.
Although an organisation can become certified to ISO 22000 it can also be implemented without seeking formal certification – i.e., by the organisation, to improve Food Safety quality without external recognition.
Notably ISO 22000 is not recognised by GFSI.
So, which one is best? And still I haven’t answered the question! The answer is clearly dependant on your organisational circumstances. Here is a summary of the key distinctions, some opinions which you may or may not agree with;
- FSSC 22000 and BRCGS are GFSI recognised – which will benefit you if your customers demand it
- ISO 22000 and FSSC 22000 can be considered, if required, to be a ‘strategic’ standard – from a leadership perspective looking down. Whereas BRCGS is often considered more from an ‘operational’ perspective
- BRCGS is more prescriptive and so favoured by companies looking to be told what to do
- ISO 22000 and FSSC 22000 allow more flexibility to design a Food Safety system that fits your business
- ISO 22000 can be used uncertified – valuable when your customers place no demands for certification on your organisation
Matching the management system to fit your need today and for tomorrow’s business needs is critical and should not be rushed into.
iqms Learning have experience in all these systems, will help you choose the most appropriate and most importantly, use it effectively – adding value to your business and ensuring your management system is a great investment.
If you need some help in deciding which is best for you, please give us a call or contact us here.
To view our food safety courses click here.