ISO 22000: An Introduction to Food Safety Objectives

What is a Food Safety Objective?

It is very easy to operate a system that has been implemented than inventing a new one, because it is very difficult to setup the initiation with the right focus, where the food safety policy and the food safety objectives play an important role in setting up an ISO 22000 food safety management system. Food safety objectives (FSO)s represent a relatively new concept that is continuing to evolve. An FSO describes the expected outcomes of hygiene measures that are applied during a particular segment of a food production process and can be defined by a working definition as: "A statement, in the ideal situation based on a risk analysis process, which expresses the level of a hazard in a food that is tolerable in relation to an appropriate level of consumer protection. When justified by either a qualitative or quantitative risk assessment, the FSO should express the level of the hazard as its maximum tolerable frequency and/or concentration". Thus an FSO should wherever possible include measurable levels of hazards in the final product that are tolerable in terms of the validated outcome of a HACCP plan, prerequisite programs, or both of an ISO 22000 FSMS. This provides an effective "target" for validation of the ISO 22000 FSMS  and/or HACCP plan/prerequisite programs, and ongoing hygiene performance. In some cases, the "target" may already be specified in an industry-agreed standard or as a particular market access requirement. e.g. zero Listeria monocytogenes tolerance in ready-to-eat foods.

Historical Developments 

The Appropriate Level of Protection (ALOP) as derived from a Microbiological Risk Assessment (MRA) is typically expressed in terms relevant to public health, e.g. as a number of cases per 100000 population. Whilst this serves a purpose when informing the public, especially when communicating a desired reduction in disease, the ALOP is not a useful measure in the further implementation of food safety measures at, e.g., the level of food control/inspection or food production. But the Food Safety Objectives simply translates the ALOP to an expression of a measurable concentration or frequency of the hazard in a food. i.e. Assume for instance that the current situation with respect to the occurrence of listeriosis in a given population is 0.5 cases per 100000 inhabitants and a government (or international community) wishes to reduce the health risk with a factor of two (which is the ALOP). Industry and food control authorities cannot target, or attempt to control, such terms as 0.25 cases per 100000 population.

As a temporary compromise, the CCFH Committee decided that the following definition proposed by the ICMSF should be used as the basis for discussion: “The maximum frequency and/or concentration of a [microbiological] hazard in a food at the time of consumption that provides the appropriate level of protection (ALOP).” This definition is based on the fact that the risk characterization curve of the risk assessment relates the risk (health impact) to the concentration or frequency of the hazard at the point of consumption. It is also recognized that FSOs will need to be used in conjunction with performance criteria or performance objectives to establish the level of control needed at other parts of the food chain.

A Food Safety Objective or a Micro biological Food Safety Objective (MFSO) can be a useful tool in (microbiological) risk management. The function of a FSO is to express the level of a hazard in a food that is tolerable in relation to an appropriate level of consumer protection.

This is reflected in the following working definition:

A FSO is a statement based on a risk analysis process, which expresses the level of a hazard in a food that is tolerable in relation to an appropriate level of protection

An alternate definition proposed by the International Commission for Microbiological Specifications in Foods but not yet accepted is:

The maximum frequency and/or concentration of a [microbiological] hazard in a food at the time of consumption that provides the appropriate level of health protection

FSOs should contain three components:

1.      Food of concern

2.      Hazard of concern and

3.      The appropriate level of consumer protection

The appropriate level of consumer protection is a reflection of a particular country's public health goals relative to the application of sanitary measures. For foods in international commerce, it represents a consensus of what participating countries or governments are willing to tolerate in relation to their food supplies. Once a consensus has been reached on what is considered appropriate, it should be incorporated into an FSO for communication to all affected parties. Industry and regulatory authorities should then adjust their control and inspection systems to meet the FSO.

  

Setting Initial Food Safety Objectives for the Process

The processor should initially formulate FSOs for the product relative to its intended end-use when discussing the expected outcome of the particular food control program. These FSOs should be confirmed as appropriate to the operation in food chain, after the hazard analysis has been completed. This allows due consideration to be given to those hazards found to be unacceptable during the analysis process and additional FSOs to be set where necessary.

List the initial food safety objectives for the process. Then evaluate what are the realistic food safety objectives.  It has to be carried out based on following conditions in mind. The objectives have to set to achieve;

1. To ensure commercial sterility of product by destruction of all viable microorganisms of public health significance as well as those capable of reproducing under non-refrigerated conditions of storage and distribution.
2. To ensure that no post-processing contamination occurs.
3. To ensure that the product shall not contain hazardous chemicals at a level which may represent a hazard to human health.
4. To ensure that the product is free from container integrity defects which compromise the hermetic seal.
5.  To ensure that the product is free from any physical hazards that pose a food safety risk to the consumer.

 In addition to the given criteria, ISO 22000 explains that, they must be set with realistic time lines, which can be measured based on specific criteria relevant to the given objectives.