a) HACCP

HACCP - short for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point is the most widely used acronym in discussions about microbial contamination issues. Developed in the early 60's by Pillsbury and NASA to provide U.S astronauts with the greatest assurance of food safety, today HACCP, through its common sense approach to prevention of hazards, is recognized under the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT). A faithful implementation of the HACCP program will assist in the identification, documentation and control of the impacts of the potential hazards in the entire food process, from raw material procurement, transportation, pre-storage, cleaning and processing to the final storage, packing and distribution.

b) ISO 22000:2005                                                                                                                                                        

This latest Standard from ISO, specifically developed for Food Safety, addresses all links in the food chain right from food growers, processors, transporters, handlers and warehouses, to even food equipment makers.

The ISO 22000 is intended to ensure that there are no weak links in the entire food supply chain. The ISO 22000 specifies the requirements for a food safety management system in the food chain. It is needed by the Organization to demonstrate its ability to control food safety hazards in order to provide consistently safe end products that meet both the requirements of the customer and complies with applicable food safety regulations. While ISO 22000's main difference from other standards lies in its scope and international applicability, it also differs from standards such as BRC and IFS, in that it does not offer a prescriptive list of requirements for good practice.

Instead, in acknowledgement of the fact that it would be impossible to name all requirements for all types of food businesses, it puts the onus on the food company to define the best practice that is most relevant to it. One of the benefits of running ISO 22000 is that it offers synergies to companies who have already implemented other ISO management systems. For example, ISO 22000 uses the same systematic approach as ISO 9001 and the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System standard, making it easy to incorporate it into an integrated risk-based management system.

c) BRC - Food                                                                                                                                                                   

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has issued a Technical Standard for companies supplying retailer branded food products. This standard has been developed to assist retailers in fulfilling legal obligations and to ensure the highest level of customer protection. The BRC Technical Standard combines the fundamental principles from existing individual retailer standards and schemes into a single common standard for the inspection of companies supplying retailer branded foods. This gives significant benefits to the supplier helping to avoid the confusion and disruption that multiple audits can bring and the need to duplicate variations on the same data for different customers. The BRC scheme requires an evaluation process to be undertaken by a third party organisation that is independent of the food manufacturer.

d) BRC/IOP - Food Packaging                                                                                                                                       

The retailer organisation, British Retail Consortium (BRC), with the Institute of Packaging (IOP) has developed a standard for use by manufacturers of packaging material that is in contact with food products

The BRC-IOP is a technical standard and protocol for companies manufacturing and supplying food packaging materials for retailer branded products. This standard reflects the growing need to ensure food safety in the whole food supply chain. It is expected that British retailers and other organisations will request their suppliers to have third party certification from the producers of such packaging materials

This standard reflects the growing need to ensure food safety in the whole food supply chain. It is expected that British retailers and other organisations will request their suppliers to have third party certification from the producers of such packaging materials.

The BRC-IOP standard contains requirements for:

     •  hazard and risk management system
     •  technical management system
     •  standards for the factory
     •  Control of contamination n personal hygiene.

e) BHC - BRANCH HYGIENE CODE                                                                                                                                 

BHC is a simplified system based on HACCP principles and specific to the catering branch.
Is your organisation concerned of:

     •  Assured quality and hygiene with respect of food served to customers.
     •  Perception of more food-safety for your customers.
     •  Better process control, resulting in less wastage of raw materials.
     •  Root cause of problems can be traced, instead of dealing only with the consequence.

f) SQF 2000 - Safe Quality Food                                                                                                                                   

Today's consumers want to know that the food they buy is safe, no matter where it was grown, raised or processed. Retailers, too, want the same assurances, and are requiring suppliers to demonstrate that they are providing safe, quality food that meets consumers' expectations. Retailers and wholesalers worldwide have identified the need for consistent, internationally accepted food safety and quality management systems.

The Food Marketing Institute is excited to offer a clear solution - the Safe Quality Food (SQF) program. Recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative, an organization representing over 70% of food retail revenue worldwide, the SQF Program is based on the principles of HACCP, Codex, ISO and Quality Management Systems.