Thursday, March 6, 2014

ISO 22000: WHAT IS ISO 22000 GAP ANALYSIS? - Section I

ISO 22000 GAP ANALYSIS
The foundation layer of the ISO 22000:2005 is Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), which is the base criterion for an implementation of a good ISO 22000 Food Safety Management System (FSMS). When you are planning to implement an ISO 22000 FSMS, your first job must be to conduct a Gap Analysis, which will give you some extreme idea if you do it right according to the requirements of the good manufacturing practices. The gap analysis consist of various elements which look into the depth of details that explain the minimum requirements of physical infrastructure, personal hygiene, plant sanitation and management responsibilities related to the entire food manufacturing process. If we talk more precisely, the exact terms of these requirements can be categorized into 8 sub sections, which are:




Section I – Organization and Management Responsibilities
Section II – Establishment: Design and Facilities
Section III – Storage Facilities
Section IV – Distribution Facilities
Section V – Cleaning
Section VI – Pest Control Systems
Section VII – Personnel Hygiene
Section VIII – Quality Assurance System

There are various sub topics ware discussed in detail to get a better understanding and evaluation of your plant. These requirements have to be fulfilled before you move to the next level such as HACCP, ISO 22000 or any other HACCP based food safety management system. In this regard, I’m willing to give you some sketch to start your audit or as we call it “a gap analysis”. In a gap analysis, person whoever conduct the audit such as factory manager, owner, quality assurance manager or an independent consultant, must be honest to look into these basic criteria and make notes of them.

It is a very good idea to have a good camera which will help you preserve evidence you found. It will ease the report writing to a great extent while you can keep the pictures to compare the developments and to show your certification auditor in final stages of the ISO 22000 audits that of your commitment to the development of ISO 22000 FSMS and the success of the project. On the other hand, you can use most of the critical pictures in a half an hour presentation to the top management or to the food safety team as your kick start of the project while pointing out the importance of ISO 22000 FSMS, which also will helpful to show mass of the employees at a single time efficient meeting rather than lots of explanations proving that “a picture worth thousand words”.   
  
Section I – Organization and Management Responsibilities
Management responsibilities and the organization are very important because without these two segments there won’t be any food safety management system. Thus it has to go on hand-in-hand.

The Control Points
  1. Is there an appropriate quality control operation employed to ensure that food is suitable for human consumption and that food packaging material is safe and suitable?
  2. Is there one or more competent individual(s) assigned responsibility for the supervision of the plant sanitation program?
  3. Is the responsibility for assuring compliance by all personnel with the requirements of the GMP regulation clearly assigned to competent supervisory personnel?
  4. Is there a formal, multidisciplinary plant food safety committee performing complete inspections of the entire facility at least monthly?
  5. Is a functional organizational chart maintained?
  6. Do all departments involved in implementing food product safety have adequate budgets established for the timely acquisition and maintenance of tools, materials, and equipment?
  7. Is there an adequate procedure for writing, approving, and distributing written procedures to the appropriate personnel?
  8. Are there written procedures to delineate responsibilities of departments for implementing quality control/quality assurance?

This is the starting lesson of a long series of longer lessons. There will be eight (VIII) sections altogether, if you want to go in-depth on good manufacturing practices which are very critical to the implementation of an effective ISO 22000: 2005, then read all posts, which will enhance your knowledge and you will gain more knowledge in the subject too. thus Good Luck with your Gap Analysis. 

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1 comment:

  1. Very good ideas are given on Food safety! a marvelous job.

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