The Evolution of ISO 22000 Toward Its 2026 Version

Food safety does not happen by accident; behind every process are international standards that help make it possible. One of these is the ISO 22000 Food Safety Management Systems standard developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Recently, the ISO/DIS 22000 draft was published, offering an overview of the direction the standard may take. In this blog, we explain the four pillars of this potential change.

• The Impact of Climate Change

Organizations are encouraged to look beyond their internal operations. Climate change is included in sub-clause 4.1, as droughts and extreme temperatures can affect the safety of ingredients, and organizations must plan how to respond to these challenges.

• It Is Not Only About the Process; It Is Also About Culture

Food Safety Culture is introduced as a requirement in sub-clause 5.4. What does this mean? It means that management must ensure personnel not only follow rules but also understand why they are important. It represents a shift from “I do it because I’m being watched” to “I do it because I care about product safety.” In this way, food safety stops being the responsibility of a single department and becomes a value shared across the entire organization.

• Protection Against the Unexpected

Today’s world presents risks that were not as evident in the past; therefore, organizations are now required to implement mandatory plans for Food Defense and Food Fraud Prevention.

• Complaint Management

A specific section on Complaint Management has been created in Clause 10.3. This encourages organizations to use customer complaints as a valuable source of data for improvement. If something goes wrong, the system must learn from it in a formal and documented manner.

This update is not merely a matter of bureaucracy. It is a response to a world that is increasingly complex, digitized, and risk aware. However, it is important to remember that the ISO/DIS 22000 document is still a draft and remains subject to change. Even so, it offers useful guidance on the direction the standard may take, particularly in the integration of food safety culture and resilience against fraud and external threats.

References: International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ISO/DIS 22000: Food safety management systems — Requirements for any organization in the food chain.

Authors: D. Peña and C. Valenzuela.