Codex, HACCP, FSMS & GFSI. A simple guide for future QA professionals

1. Why Codex exists (workfloor logic)

Imagine every country and every factory deciding on its own what “safe food” means. That would be chaos.

That’s why Codex Alimentarius exists.

Codex was created by FAO and WHO, two global, non-commercial United Nations agencies, to define one international reference for food safety, based on science, not opinions.

Codex does not depend on national or International law but many laws are based on Codex.

That’s why we often hear:

“According to Codex…”

2. What Codex is (in simple words)

• Codex is not a certificate (you cannot be “Codex certified”).

• Codex is not an audit (nobody audits you against Codex).

• Codex is a collection of internationally agreed food safety principles.

• One of its most important principles is HACCP.

3.  HACCP: Codex turned into action

Codex says:

“You must control food safety hazards.”

HACCP answers:

“This is how you do it.”

HACCP brings structure to food safety:

• Hazard analysis

• CCPs

• Limits

• Monitoring

• Corrective actions

Before HACCP, food safety was mainly based on good hygiene and manufacturing practices.

Today, these practices are formalized as PRPs, and HACCP is built on top of them to control specific food safety hazards.

Important for future QA Collegues:

HACCP was originally developed outside Codex (for the NASA space program).

Codex later adopted HACCP and made it the global reference method for food safety.

4. FSMS: HACCP inside a management system

Think of it like this:

HACCP is the engine. A FSMS (Food Safety Management System) is the car around it.

A FSMS brings structure to food safety by adding:

• Roles & responsibilities

• Training

• Documentation

• Internal audits

• Management review

• Continuous improvement

  
  

There are different ways to build a FSMS.

ISO 22000 is one of them. It defines how to organise HACCP, PRPs and management processes into one coherent system.

Simply said:

FSMS = Codex HACCP + management structure

5.  GFSI standards: different roads, same destination

GFSI does not create food safety rules.

GFSI decides which standards are strong enough to be part of its “club”, based on correct application of:

• Codex

• HACCP

• Risk-based thinking

  
  

Examples:

• BRCGS

• IFS

• FSSC 22000

• SQF

  
  

Important to remember: ISO 22000 alone is not GFSI-recognised. FSSC 22000 is because it adds extra GFSI requirements.

(Different formats, same foundation)

6.  A message to future QA collegues

You don’t become a QA specialist by memorizing clauses.

You become one by understanding why controls exist.

• Codex gives you the “why”.

• HACCP gives you the “how”.

• Standards give you the “proof”.

If you understand Codex and HACCP, you can work with any food safety standard.