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NQA introduces PAS 223 for the Food Packaging Industry

PAS 223 - Integrating the Food Packaging Industry with the ISO family of Standards.

On the 1st of July 2011 PAS 223:2011- Prerequisite programmes and design requirements for food safety in the manufacture and provision of food packaging; was released as a Publicly Available Specification.  Like other publicly available specifications for Food Safety (notably PAS 220) PAS 223:2011 is developed by industry for industry, to specify requirements that support the implementation of ISO 22000 - Food Safety Management Systems - requirements for any organization in the food chain.

PAS 223:2011 addresses prerequisite programme (PRP) requirements specific to the food packaging industry sub sector, covering such requirements as (not limited to):

• Layout and workspace
• Waste management and removal
• Storage, utilities and water supply
• Maintenance
• Contamination and migration
• Cleaning and Pest control
• Personnel Hygiene and Facilities
• Food packaging information and consumer awareness
• Food packaging design and development

PAS 223:2011 fulfills the ISO 22000 requirements for prerequisite programmes as established  in clause 7.2.3.

The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), the benchmarking organization (of leading manufacturers and retailers) for food safety standards recently released guidelines for packaging certification.  The combined requirements of ISO 22000 and PAS 223:2011 is aligned with the requirements of the GFSI document indicating a global acceptability for this combination of ‘standards’.

NQA has long standing experience of utilizing the requirements of the relevant PAS documents to support its management systems audits, bringing even greater value to our clients. With the advent of PAS 223:2011, clients will get in one single audit a certification that fulfills the requirements of GFSI, (manufacturers and retailers) for packaging manufacture and a globally recognized food safety standard delivered by a leading  global certification body.

For further information on PAS 223:2011 and on Food Safety Management Systems, please contact our food safety team on 08433 183490 or enquiries@nqa.com

Published 13/07/2011

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