ISO 9001: 2008 is now available. You may purchase it thru ASQ, ANSI, or ISO. AQA recommends that you purchase a copy as soon as possible.

AQA certification to ISO 9001:2008 is also now available and may be granted with completion of any upcoming ISO 9001:2000 audit. Since ISO 9001:2008 introduces no new requirements and only introduces clarifications to the existing requirements of ISO 9001:2000, no additional audit time will be required.

Clients must have a copy of the ISO 9001:2008 standard. The changes from ISO 9001:2000 (described in Annex B of ISO 9001:2008) will be discussed with your AQA auditor during the audit and the auditor will subsequently make a recommendation concerning ISO 9001:2008 certification. An administrative fee of $250 will be charged for certification to ISO 9001:2008.

All ISO 9001 certificates must be to ISO 9001:2008 within 24 months of issue of ISO 9001:2008. Any certification issued to ISO 9001:2000 will not be valid after November 13, 2010.

Please do not hesitate to contact the AQA office or your auditor for any additional information.

Please see the ANAB Heads Up and IAQG Update for more details.

AQA International moves forward with Food Safety Management Systems Accreditation and Public Training Offerings.

ISO takes another step forward towards ensuring the safety of food products for consumers with its new ISO 22005 standard on traceability in the feed and food chain.

You may begin to hear more about food safety management systems which were created to protect the food supply from microbial, chemical and physical hazards or contamination. ISO 22000:2005 describes the handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent food borne illness. This includes a number of routines that should be followed to avoid potentially severe health hazards.

As we all know, food can transmit disease from person to person, as well as, serve as a growth medium for bacteria that can cause food poisoning. Potential food hazards can include microorganisms, naturally present chemicals, chemicals produced by cooking, environmental contaminants, additives, and pesticides.

ISO understands that while demanding completely safe food is unrealistic, it is possible with a food safety program to reduce potential hazards. For the most part ISO 22000:2005 applies to any licensed food establishment in which, food is grown, raised, cultivated, kept, harvested, produced, manufactured, slaughtered, processed, prepared, packaged, distributed, transported or sold, or is stored or handled for any of those purposes.

The food supply in the United States is one of the safest in the world and most people do not think about food borne illness until they unknowingly consuming contaminated food. The centers for disease control and prevention estimates that each year 76 million cases of food borne illness occur, more than 300,000 persons are hospitalized, and 5,000 die from food borne illness. Though all food has benefits and drawbacks, following food safety guidelines such as ISO 22000:2005 are critical public health functions. The more understanding of food safety in general, the better equipped we will be to make appropriate decisions.