Recent issues experienced with listeriosis, leaking cans and expired nuts and fruit demonstrate the need for food manufacturers, producers, retailers and every organisation involved in the handling of the supply chain to be trained and certified in food safety systems, says South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) Standards divisional head Dr Sadhvir Bissoon.

“There are certain processes in the food value chain that need to be controlled despite challenges that may be experienced, such as excessive periods of no electricity that may compromise refrigeration and food quality, food warehouses that may have experienced a rodent infestation or chemical leaks, retailers that fail to remove expired products from their shelves or delays in transportation of produce," he notes.

Considering the millions of food products, their manufacturing, their distribution, their handling and the growing number of processes, a comprehensive food safety management system is necessary to assure end users of safety and quality, he points out.

The SABS offers Food Safety System Certification (FSSC) 22000 services in training, testing and certification of food and food products.

“Having a comprehensive food safety management system, such as FSSC 22000, will ensure that staff are trained to identify and manage risks that could compromise food safety. The SABS Training Academy is a licensed training partner with Foundation FSSC.

“SABS recommends that FSSC 22000 V5.1 become entrenched in every organisation that deals with food and food products. The FSSC Certification is a complete food, feed and packaging safety certification scheme for the auditing and management of Food Safety Systems,” Bissoon says.

The FSSC 22000 V5.1 scheme comprises three components, namely the implementation of the International Standards Organisation-based management system (ISO 22000:2018), as well as the relevant prerequisite programmes specifications and the FSSC additional requirements.

The certification scheme is accredited under ISO 17021-1 conformity assessment standard and the three pillars of FSSC 22000 scheme requirements.

"This allows food manufacturers to use the FSSC 22000 standard to meet the requirements of several global retailers or major branded food companies under a single, internationally recognised food safety management system," Bissoon highlights.

Further, food manufacturers already certified against ISO 22000 will only require a review and the implementation of compliance mechanisms to meet the additional FSSC requirements to transition to the FSSC 22000 standard.

FSSC 22000 can also be applied to organisations of any size or complexity in food manufacturing, he says.

"The SABS has the capability to test and certify food products. Our suite of laboratories can identify the nutritional percentage of ingredients, as well as pesticides and chemicals, bacteria, microbes, fungi and any other substance that may be of benefit or harm to consumers."

The comprehensive FSSC is a globally recognised food safety control mechanism necessary to support the attainment of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and to provide trust and deliver impact to the consumer goods industry. All organisations involved in the food chain should be familiar with the requirements of this standard through training and to ensure that food production and products are certified, says Bissoon.

The SABS is a national standards body and does not have the regulatory authority to promulgate FSSC 22000, or any other standard as a compulsory requirement. However, the SABS works with policy makers and regulators and other industry bodies to set the requirements or standards for products and processes.