ISO 22000 is a new standard for food safety, set to replace Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP). Compared with HACCP, the scope of ISO 22000 refers not only to meeting the requirements of national organisations, but also those of the consumer. As systems such as Good Manufacturing Practice are prerequisites in ISO 22000, this results in fewer CCP.

The main difference between ISO 22000 and HACCP is that every single sector of the food chain is responsible for product safety. ISO 22000 requires each sector of the food chain to inspect both providers and customers to ensure that they comply with standards for the production of safe foods. This includes not only the production process itself, but also transportation, product sale and the final product at point of sale. However, the lack of information and concerns about the demands of ISO 22000 have detracted from its widespread implementation.

Novel foods that are not shelf stable represent a growing market sector. Many of these foods, such as smoked fishery products, rely mainly on maintenance of proper refrigeration to prevent spoilage and ensure microbiological safety. Two commonly used methods for fish smoking are cold smoking below 30°C and hot smoking above 60°C. Although hot smoking is an effective pasteurization process, cooked fish loses the distinctive flavour and texture that defines cold smoked products. However, cold smoking does not always destroy parasites and microbiological hazards in the fish.

A study by Arvanitoyannis et al.¹, compared the application of ISO 22000 in the trout smoking process in a small-sized factory in north-west Greece with the implementation of HACCP and the Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA). The number of CCP fell from eight in HACCP to four in ISO 22000. The FMEA was used to calculate the Risk Priority Number (RPN) and any correlation with ISO 22000. The RPN was found to be higher than 130 for eight steps, which was in close agreement with HACCP. These findings indicated that corrective actions needed to be taken throughout the trout smoking process.

¹ Arvanitoyannis, IS; Palaiokostas, C; Panagiotaki, P (2009). A comparative presentation of implementation of ISO 22000 versus HACCP and FMEA in a small size Greek factory producing smoked trout: a case study. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 49 (2) 176–201.

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