Fundamental principles and concepts of a food safety management system
Purpose
Domain 1 tests whether you can explain the model that underpins ISO 22000:2018, not just recite HACCP. Expect definitions of food safety hazard, prerequisite programmes (PRPs), operational PRPs (OPRPs), critical control points (CCPs), validation and verification, and the role of interactive communication.
Core model
- A food safety hazard is a biological, chemical or physical agent in food, or a condition of food, with the potential to cause an adverse health effect. Allergen control is addressed where relevant within the hazard analysis and PRPs.
- The seven HACCP principles are hazard analysis, CCP determination, critical limits, monitoring, corrective actions, verification and record-keeping. ISO 22000 embeds these in a management system rather than treating HACCP as a stand-alone plan.
- PRPs control the general hygiene environment; OPRPs control identified hazards where a CCP is not appropriate; CCPs control hazards with measurable critical limits.
- Two PDCA cycles operate: the system cycle across clauses 4–10 and the operations cycle within clause 8.
- Interactive communication runs internally and with suppliers, customers and regulators; it is a requirement, not good practice.
Worked example
A juice producer pasteurises at 90 °C for 15 s to control Salmonella. The team sets a CCP with critical limits of time and temperature, continuous monitoring, a hold-and-reprocess corrective action, and weekly verification by record review and periodic product testing. A metal detector is also installed; because the hazard is physical and the detector has a measurable reject check, it may be a CCP or an OPRP depending on the hazard assessment and the scheme used. The reasoning must show the hazard assessment, not the equipment name, drives the category.
Traps
Equating the HACCP plan with the whole FSMS; calling every control measure a CCP; confusing validation (evidence the control can work) with verification (evidence it is working); forgetting OPRPs; and ignoring communication across the food chain.