ISO 22000 reality check?

Sorry to be the one to throw a cup of cold water over the ISO 22000 phenomenon, but I think some people need a reality check. We may well have the first global food safety standard in our hands; but few savvy business owners willingly add cost to their business without clear perception of the payback.

It was way back in June 2003 when the first post about ISO 22000 was made on the SDF, during which time hundreds of consultants have followed the irresistibly seductive scent that new standards secrete from search engines such as Google.
Before we required registration to view posts on the forums most people who surfed in were anonymous lurkers hunting for snippets of information and sometimes a free copy of the Standard, without offering much in the way of discussion or a desire for networking. For the past eighteen months or so we know consultants have been feathering their nests in preparation for the golden goose and now Certification Bodies are getting interested with the pilot certification scheme and preparing training courses and seminars. Yes the construction of the ISO 22000 certification machine is certainly well underway - but will there be any users?

Returning to the savvy business owners for a moment - they will not act until required to do so by customers. The relative success of the BRC and IFS Standards is because they were driven to a large extent by the retailers - who will drive ISO 22000? Consultants and Certification Bodies will do their best to create excitement in the food supply chain - but will this be enough?

ISO 22000 is a global food safety standard for use by all industry sectors in the food supply chain - required by whom exactly?

The decision to pursue certification to a standard requires senior management commitment and that usually only comes as a result of market pressure, usually in the form of several demanding letters from big customers.

Users don't use unless they're driven by drivers.

Is it possible this standard could fail?

Regards,
Simon

usually only comes as a result of market pressure,

Simon,
Generally, you are right. Business owners tend to pursue any new standards only when driven to it by market/customer pressure.
Over at our end, the situation is no different. The market is led by industrial leaders and those who have been "advised" to move ahead towards ISO 22K.
The market always tends to follow a "top down" approach (HACCP was no different) and it is good to know that the response from industrial leaders over here has been surprisingly satisfactory.

I also believe that once it has become an EN ISO 22000 (which will happen), I am expecting the retailers to play a major role in driving the new standard. The resultant from this effort would be massive.

Not so necessary for a reality check over at this end. Auditor conversion courses managed by IRCA has already happened and the response has been incredibly good as well......

Charles Chew