N° 27
SCE S 38, 39, 44 + 79
…we have made the analyses & found
traces of a scandal!
GFSI, BRC, IFS, ISO 22000 -
What do they all mean?
Context
HACCP - Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point – is an
analysis and control method for food safety risks and
whose application has been demanded by legislation
in practically all countries since the mid ‘90s. The
official version (available on www.procert.ch) of the
HACCP method has been published by the Codex Ali-
mentarius international commission, an organisation
linked to the WHO and the FAO. It describes the sys-
tematic method in 12 steps:
1. Assemble HACCP team
2. Describe product
3. Identify intended use
4. Construct flow diagram
5. On-site confirmation of flow diagram
6. List all potential hazards associated with each
step, conduct a hazard analysis, and consider any
measures to control identified hazards
7. Determine Critical Control Points
8. Establish critical limits for each CCP
9. Establish a monitoring system for each CCP
10. Establish corrective actions
11. Establish verification procedures
12. Establish Documentation and Record Keeping
The ProCert HACCP guide (free of charge for clients)
describes in a detailed way the application of this
method.
NB: Steps 6 to 12 mentioned above constitute what is
known as the “HACCP Seven Principles”, used by cer-
tain legislations.
Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI)
The CIES Business Forum (www.ciesnet.com), which
groups over 200 major retailers in 50 countries,
started the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) in
2001, the requirements of which are available on
www.foodsafety.com. The objective of the initiative is
to impose the application of a food safety manage-
ment standard. Since several standards of this type
exist internationally and the slogan of the GFSI is
« once certified, accepted everywhere », the docu-
ment describes the criteria which need to be satisfied
for such a standard to be recognised. Every recog-
nised standard (5 to date) is then considered as equal
ProCert – Your Partner for integrated certifications
ProCert, Organisme certificateur, PSE-EPFL, CH-1015 Lausanne, +41 21 693 87 21, procert@epfl.ch, www.procert.ch Vers. 2 : 1 /2
ProCert, Zertifizierungsstelle, Holzikofenweg 22, CH-3000 Bern 23, +41 31 560 67 67 , bern@procert.ch, www.procert.ch 23.08 .04
and the retailers can be assured by asking their sup-
pliers of branded products to be certified through one
of these recognised GFSI standards.
The BRC & IFS standards are also recognised stan-
dards.
BRC Global Standard-Food
The British Retail Consortium (BRC), www.brc.org.uk
groups the major British food retailers. The third ver-
sion of the BRC Global standard - Food (April 2002)
has been recognised by the GFSI. It contains the
following chapters:
1. HACCP system
2. Quality management system
3. Buildings, equipment and installations
4. Product control
5. Procedure control
6. Personnel
The standard does not end with the requirements of
the HACCP method, it is also concerned with the need
for management systems or good practises during
manufacture (GMP). It refers explicitly to the publica-
tion of Codex Alimentarius.
Companies can be certified according to this standard.
To know more: please check the ProCert Data sheets
N° 11 & 12 (FAQs, comparison with other references –
available free of charge on www.procert.ch, publica-
tions page).
ProCert was one of the first organisations to be able to
deliver accredited certifications to the BRC standard,
(in 1999) – a fundamental advantage, along with
EUREPGAP, of the international development of Pro-
Cert.
International Food Standard (IFS)
The Chamber of Commerce for German retailers
(HDE) is the author of this standard, the third version
having been applied in Germany since January 2003.
It is only from 2004 that foreign certifiers will be rec-
ognised by the HDE. ProCert is already involved (see:
www.food-care.info). The fourth version of this stan-
dard is planned for July 2004, with the following struc-
ture based on ISO 9001:
1. Quality management system
2. Management responsibility
3. Resource management
4. Production processes
5. Measures, analyses and improvements
N° 27
ISO 22000 – soon the international standard
In 2001, in view of the importance of food safety
management systems internationally, ISO decided to
create a working group whose goal is to elaborate an
international standard that could regroup, in the near
future, all private and national initiatives such as BRC,
IFS et al.
For ISO 22000 – its code name –, the calendar is as
follows:
- spring 2004 : consultation of the DIS (Draft In-
ternational Standard)
- end 2004 : final project (FDIS – Final DIS)
- early 2005 : first certifications
The Director of the GFSI is playing an active role in
the ISO 22000 elaboration process, along with D.
Blanc of ProCert, who presides as the Swiss delegate
in the international working group.
Without going into details concerning the configuration
of the new standard, we can already confirm that an
application of the HACCP system in all its rigour (fol-
lowing the 12 steps) will allow for problem-free certifi-
cation.
....& that,
does it
conform?!...
This standard, which has the attribute of being appli-
cable in any stage in the food chain (agricultural pro-
duction, agricultural suppliers, food industry…) will
finally realise the GFSI vision: ”once certified, ac-
cepted everywhere”.
Situation in Europe
Most major retailers in Europe (eg. Tesco, Sainsburys,
M&S, Waitrose etc in the UK and Metro in Germany,
Coop and Migros in Switzerland, Carrefour, Delhaize in
France,…) require a BRC or IFS certification from their
suppliers of branded products, mostly as of the end of
2004.
Consequences for the food industry
Up to now, the HACCP systems were controlled by a
more or less exhaustive sampling by the official ser-
vices, all under a formal inspection.
But, a certification audit is more rigorous, more com-
plete and is concerned with the systematic application
of HACCP. In particular, the company has to prove
that it is able to self-evaluate the risks associated with
food safety – and to control them. This implies a cor-
rect and complete application of the HACCP method
(following the 12 steps), on which the auditor has to
evaluate the relevance and reliability of the control
measures selected and applied by the company. The
audits also concern the elements of management
systems, giving the advantage to those companies
who already have esta blished ISO 9001.
ProCert – Your Partner for integrated certifications
ProCert, Organisme certificateur, PSE-EPFL, CH-1015 Lausanne, +41 21 693 87 21, procert@epfl.ch, www.procert.ch Vers. 2 : 2 /2
ProCert, Zertifizierungsstelle, Holzikofenweg 22, CH-3000 Bern 23, +41 31 560 67 67 , bern@procert.ch, www.procert.ch 23.08 .04
Principle interpretation difficulties
The term « Control » is based on a number of errors
in interpretation. In fact, the English term should
perhaps be translated as « mastered » and not « con-
trolled».
Codex Alimentarius defines the measurement of con-
trol as follows: "any intervention and activity to which
one can have recourse to prevent or eliminate a dan-
ger which threatens food safety or to bring it back to
an acceptable level".
It thus acts basically as prevention... and not as con-
trol, just as the introduction of Codex specifies:
"HACCP is a tool which makes it possible to evaluate
the risks and to establish systems of control centred
more on prevention than on the analysis of the fin-
ished product".
Many HACCP applications do not reflect this funda-
mental principle.
Another frequent misunderstanding: GMP require-
ments described in standards such as BRC or IFS are
read literally without taking into account that the
standard always gives a warning, such as "if neces-
sary" or "when applicable"... thus bringing us back to
the HACCP study and its rigour.
In a number of cases, expensive and unnecessary
investment is incurred (e.g. safety glass, metal dete c-
tors) when a serious analysis of the risks (HACCP
stage 6) would have shown that the danger is not
significant and that other preventive measures would
have made it possible to achieve the desired control...
Another frequent problem: the absence of a general
concept for good manufacturing practice (GMP) and
hygiene describing for a particular profession the
cleaning, maintenance personal hygiene, require-
ments. However, GMP must be in place before carry-
ing out a HACCP study.
The absence of a HACCP team is also a frequent non-
conformity, particularly in small companies. It is then
a question of finding solutions to ensure that the de-
sired competences (eg. microbiology, technology,
production, etc...) are realised without having to cre-
ate new posts.
Lastly, the management system section can pose
problems with companies who have not established an
ISO 9001 system.
Advantages of a food safety management sys-
tem
The correct application of the HACCP method makes it
possible to substantially improve the control of food
safety and responsibility within a company. The ques-
tions relating to food safety are then taken in hand by
the company itself, without inspectors or auditors
imposing their own ideas.
The installation of a food safety management system
is a priority investment in know-how, rather than in
equipment and installations - which should not pre-
clude the analysis of the risks linked to the identifica-
tion of a targeted investment.
R. Schnyder & Dr D. Blanc
23.08.2004