{ "id": 2207, "date": "2021-04-29T18:53:15", "date_gmt": "2021-04-29T18:53:15", "guid": { "rendered": "https:\/\/maretai.com.au\/?p=2207" }, "modified": "2025-03-10T11:06:13", "modified_gmt": "2025-03-10T16:06:13", "slug": "the-importance-of-a-food-safety-certificate", "status": "publish", "type": "post", "link": "https:\/\/maretai.com.mx\/en\/the-importance-of-a-food-safety-certificate\/", "title": { "rendered": "The Importance of a Food Safety Certificate" }, "content": { "rendered": "

For some years now, we\u00b4ve rapidly grown in awareness of what we put into our bodies and what we feed our families. There are many different factors now that play out when we are trying to decide for a product. One of the most important ones we should consider is a food safety certificate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a Food Safety Certificate?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Food safety certificates tell you not only about the specific qualities and characteristics of a product, but they are also a way to ensure that the organizations involved in the development of the product, from the farm or plantation all the way to your local store shelf, meet a very high standard of quality regarding different factors like hygiene, machinery and equipment, technology, IT systems, microbiological testing, managerial practices, fair trade, fair human resource compensation, packing and transportation procedures, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These certificates bring certainty that the farmers, manufacturers, handlers and retailers of the food products have set up systems that allow them to prevent, mitigate and control any possible risk involving the products<\/a>, and that they have taken every precaution in compliance with international standards to guarantee the quality and safety of the product to the consumer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"HACCP
HACCP guidelines are focused on minimizing and controlling food safety hazards. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

HACCP<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first attempts to create a standardized food safety system were carried out in the 1960s, when the US Army, along with NASA and Pillsbury, a private company were looking to design the first food guidelines for space flights<\/a>. In 1969, the term HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point System) was used for the first time, when Pillsbury submitted their program to the FDA for approval.  When the International HACCP Alliance was established in 1994, it\u00b4s initial mission was to assist the meat and poultry industry with the implementation of the system. Today, it\u00b4s memberships spread all over the professional and industrial areas related to the food industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The HACCP was thought out as a systematic way to analyze and control safety hazards within the food industry. It\u00b4s main component are 7 principles that allow for a reliable and trustworthy operation: First there is a hazard analysis to determine Critical Control Points (CCPs), then critical risk limits are established as well as procedures to monitor those limits, there is also a plan with corrective actions in case any hazard materializes during the process. This process is constantly being reviewed through previously established verification procedures, and every stage of the process is archived and kept under the record-keeping and documentation procedures. It has been recognized by the GFSI as a cornerstone of standardized food safety programs.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Food
Food handling must be done by a certified party to ensure appropriate risk mitigation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

BRCGS<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The British Retail Consortium was established in 1992<\/a>, and it is formed by most retailers in Great Britain: from family-owned stores to large supermarket chains. Upon the agreement that the food safety assurance was a convenient thing for the entire retail industry, they started working on the first drafts of a system that would standardize food safety along Great Britain in 1996. This system was first published in 1998,  and now the BRC Standard Technical Guideline is followed by over 25,000 companies in 130 countries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The BRC was designed to bring accountability and traceability to the entire supply chain, and that is one of the reasons it relies so heavily on the HACCP criteria, as well as the ISO 9001 standard, making one of the most popular options when looking for an overall certification that ensures food safety as well as best management practices. In 2019, the BRC was rebranded to BRCGS, although it has been a GFSI compliant certification for quite a long time now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Temperature
Temperature controlled containers are used to ship food products all over the globe. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

FSSC 22000<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another one of the most common certifications worldwide is the FSSC 22000 (Food Safety System Certification 22000), which was established in 2009 to help organizations set and continuously improve the control and management of food safety. The FSSC 22000 certification scheme is governed by a non profit organization, and monitored by an independent advisory committee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The process to obtain the certification is thorough, composed by three main requirements: ISO 22000 standards have to be met, as well as PRPs (sector specific Pre-Requisite Programs), and some additional FSSC requirements that allow for consistency and integrity, and also provide governance to the organization.  Over 25,000 companies have certified their operations through the FSSC 22000 program worldwide<\/a>, and it is also a GFSI compliant certification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GFSI<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Global Food Safety Iniciative<\/a> is a global effort led by the International Trade Organization, established in 2000. Its main objective is to benchmark food safety certifications and programs across the world and provide a reliable reference platform for safety, quality and management procedures, thus elevating the level of accountability in the food industry and helping companies deliver high quality products to the end consumer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

GFSI oversees a large number of food safety certification programs, and sets requirements for them to comply with international standards. Some of the GFSI recognized and benchmarked schemes are: <\/p>\n\n\n\n