Quality or Food safety Handbook

Food safety Handbook or Manual is the first major priority when it comes for documentation of all food safety standards. For example, the documenation part of ISO 22000: 2005 covers handbook or manual, mandatory procedures, SOPs, SSOPs, Formats and finally the internal audit checklist.

The manual or handbook is the prime source which has reference of all the records and documents required for the implementation of the standard. The manual always have the format following the food safety standard thereby it can explain that the system implemented in the industry satisfies each clause of the respective food safety standard.

The manual can have the food safety policy as a part of it so that it will easy to understand the objectives of the organisation and the steps taken by them to achieve those objectives. Each clause is obligatory and should be satisfied by the proper procedure implemented in the organisation before audit for the certification.

A food safety manual also includes the company information, address, references, scope, objectives etc., The manual doesn't explain deeply about each individual process steps implemented. But it gives reference to the corresponding procedure and the record. For example the clause 8.4.1 of ISO 22000 manual would give brief information about the internal audit procedure but it gives reference of the internal audit procedure, internal audit records and the formats used.

So a manual is always a handbook or a guidebook which can be referred anytime for following the corresponding food safety standard.

This is my analysis on food safety manual,

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Pragash