BSI issues first ISO 22000 certificate in United States

BSI Management Systems has issued one of the first known accredited ISO 22000 certificates in the United States to New Season Foods of Forest Grove, Oregon.  ISO 22000 is an internationally recognized food safety management system that was published in September 2005.  BSI is accredited to deliver ISO 22000 certification by UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service), the globally recognized accreditation body.

“This first certificate is very significant because it indicates that New Season Foods is a leader in its industry,” said Dr Tatiana Lorca, BSI’s food technology specialist. “By being the first, the company shows they are progressive and moving in the direction of certification before the rest of the industry does.”

“BSI is proud to issue our first ISO 22000 certificate in the United States to such a respected leader in the food industry.  New Season Foods’ requirements and BSI’s services were a great match,” said Gary Pearsons, President of BSI Americas.

Mark Frandsen, President of New Season Foods, said, “This has had a very dramatic impact on everybody who works here. … We recognize that by operating with the standards of ISO that we will in fact be a better company.”

ISO 22000 is an internationally recognized food safety management system that was published in September 2005. The standard focuses on the safety of the final product, with the heart of the standard providing an auditable format for the control of food safety hazards through the implementation of prerequisite programs and HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point). According to Dr. Lorca, the food industry uses HACCP as a risk assessment tool to mitigate food safety hazards. “ISO 22000 represents a disciplined risk analysis for suppliers so they can look at all risks associated with their products and processes,” she said.

Frandsen said New Season Foods received ISO 9001 and HACCP registration at the same time it earned its ISO 22000 certificate because the company wanted to leverage the benefits of an integrated management system. 
“By implementing both of those systems together, they will be able to manage both the safety and quality of their products,” Dr. Lorca added.

The food industry in other parts of the world is moving toward requiring ISO 22000 certification in order to conduct business. Although this is not the case in the United States, Dr Lorca predicted the American food industry might follow suit, and if it does, New Season Foods will be far ahead of its competitors.

ENDS

About BSI Management Systems

BSI Management Systems provides organizations with independent third party certification of their management systems, including ISO 9001:2000 (Quality), ISO 14001:2004 (Environmental Management), OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health & Safety), ISO/IEC 27001 (Information Security), ISO 22000 (Food Safety), ISO 20000 (IT Service Management), and ISO 13485 (Medical Devices). 

As one of the world’s leading management systems registrars, BSI Management Systems has more than 40,000 clients worldwide thereby helping all kinds of organizations improve their business efficiency and reduce their risk.

BSI Management Systems operates from four regional hubs based in the UK, Europe, Asia and America, with the capability to deliver assessments worldwide, reinforcing BSI’s commitment to deliver assessments with an unrivalled level of consistency across the world. This assessment capability is further augmented by training and advisory activities deemed essential to guiding clients towards the successful adoption and implementation of best practice.