The ever-increasing demands and regulations from governments and consumers are making life increasingly uncomfortable for food manufacturers. They turned to local standardization bodies to demand voluntary standards to meet societal needs. As a result of this requirement, many countries such as Denmark, the Netherlands, Iceland, Australia, etc. have introduced their own food safety management system standards. Accordingly, the Danish Standardization Association (DS) proposed that a unified international standard should be established. In 2001, on their recommendation, ISO/TC 34 Food Products Technical Committee was established, with Denmark serving as the secretariat. For the same purpose, the Working Group (WG8) was established in November of the same year. They prepared a work plan and timetable for the formation of ISO/AWI 22000 "Food Safety Management Systems - Necessary Conditions". They suggested that the new standard should be introduced by the end of 2004. This standard will be in harmony with the rules that have been introduced by the relevant organizations of the United Nations and consistent with the relevant ISO guidelines.

  ISO22000 will help food manufacturers to use HACCP principles rationally and avoid affecting their profitable food production. The new standard will complement the existing ISO15161:2001ISO9001:2001 guidelines for application in the food and beverage industry. The coverage of ISO15161 is much larger than ISO22000. The former addresses all aspects of food quality and describes how to integrate HACCP into an organization's quality management system; while the latter focuses on food safety and recommends that food producers proactively Establish a food safety system

ISO 22000 will help the food manufacturing industry to better use HACCP principles. It will not only focus on food quality, but also include food safety and the establishment of food safety systems. This is the first time that a document from a relevant United Nations organization (HACCP) is included in the quality into the management system. ISO 22000 will be an effective tool to help food manufacturers produce products that are safe and comply with legal and customer requirements as well as their own.

  ISO/TC 34/WG8 is now in the spotlight, and more and more new members are added in the standard formation process. More recently, China, Switzerland and Ireland have also designated experts to participate in the working group.

   Food safety has always been an important issue in the global food supply chain. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is developing the ISO22000:200X standard, which is both a guideline for use describing the requirements of a food safety management system and an auditable standard for certification and registration. This brings us an opportunity to harmonize multiple standards in the field of food safety and a tool for implementing HACCP technology throughout the food supply chain.