Review – New FSSC 22000 Version 4 Regarding Food Fraud and Food Defense

Question: Are you compliant with the Food Fraud requirements of the new FSSC 22000 standard — maybe, but probably not yet. Yesterday FSSC released their new Version 4 which follows GFSI direction to require (1) a Food Fraud Vulnerability Assessment (FFVA) and (2) a Food Fraud Prevention Strategy. Addressing Food Fraud in separate assessments and plans will not be optional.

From our Food Fraud Insight Report (FFIR):

Our Full report is available here: https://blog.foodfraudpreventionthinktank.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/MSU-FFTT-FFIR-FSSC-22000-update-Edition-4-2017-v8.pdf

 The FSSC 22000 Version 4 is available herehttp://www.fssc22000.com/documents/support/downloads.xml?lang=en


Review – New FSSC 22000 Version 4 Regarding Food Fraud and Food Defense

December 23, 2016

By John Spink

SUMMARY

On December 22, 2016, FSSC 22000 released their new “Food Safety System Certification 22000” Version 4. This will be required after an “appropriate transition period for certified organizations to adapt to the implementation of the new requirements,” or reportedly by January 1, 2018. This is one of the first systems or programs that explicitly addresses and emphases “Food Fraud Prevention.”

Aligned with GFSI, the standard requires a separate (1) Food Fraud Vulnerability Assessment and (2) Prevention Strategy for all types of fraud, all products, and across the food supply chain, from raw materials to finished goods supplied to end users.

They also require a separate Food Defense threat assessment and control plan for all types of attacks – e.g. tampering and disgruntled employees, not just the FSMA Intentional Adulteration scope of terrorist-type “wide scale [human] public health harms.”

FSSC 22000 – based on the ISO 22000 Food Safety Management standard – is one of several Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) recognized standards. GFSI essentially sets the food safety management system expectation for most of the food industry. So this standard defines what the food industry will do.

CONCLUSION

Current Food Fraud Vulnerability Assessments and Prevention Strategies appear to be compliant as long as the scope covers all types of fraud, all products, and all the way to the end user – some systems or programs only cover ingredient, only adulterant-substances, or combine Food Fraud and Food Defense assessments.

  1. Conducting a Food Fraud Vulnerability Assessment is not optional
  2. Implementing a separate Food Fraud Prevention Strategy is not optional.
  3. There must be a separate assessment for Food Fraud and another for Food Defense.

Most food companies are not currently compliant and will need to expand their Food Fraud Vulnerability Assessments and Prevention Strategies. That said, there are many resources already available. See the SSAFE organization Food Fraud Guidance, our published Food Fraud Initial Screening Tool (FFIS), and our Food Fraud Insight Executive Education Short-courses or the Food Fraud MOOC (Massive Open Online Course.)

………

There is still time until the compliance requirement… but there is no time to waste. Begin by reviewing the GFSI requirements – in relation to FSMA and other requirements such as Sarbanes-Oxley – such as in our previous MSU Food Fraud Insight Reports. Also, start reviewing the wide range of Food Fraud Vulnerability Assessment and Prevention Plan resources, such as our “Food Fraud Reference Sheet.” We will expand our reports, training, and education to meet this need.

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