Date: 20-07-2020
The 1st ISO 22000 certified ornamental fish food manufacturing plant in Japan
All 3 factories of Kyorin Food Ind. Ltd., acquired ISO22000 which is a food safety management system certification for the first time in Japan as an ornamental fish food manufacturing plant.
What’s ISO22000?
An international standard for « prevention of food harm » and « high quality » in all processes related to food from production to the table, which is a fusion of « HACCP for securing food safety » and « ISO9001 for quality management system ».
HACCP：
A method of hygiene management to ensure product safety. Understand the factors (hazards) that cause harm such as contamination, and manage important processes that reduce hazards during the manufacturing process.
ISO9001：
A method for building and improving necessary manuals in order to provide better products (high quality).
Why we challenged
Since ISO2220 is an international standard for « prevention of food harm » and « high quality for food”, it has far exceeded the level of quality control required for ornamental fish foods.
We anticipated the need for a high level of quality control around the world and decided to take the challenge to take Hikari®‘s ornamental fish foods to the next level.
The history of Hikari® quality control
Hikari products are sold in about 66 countries around the world. The EU and the US, which have particularly strict regulations, require a high level of quality control. And since the BSE outbreak in Japan in 2001, we have entered an era that requires new & higher quality control. Whenever we encounter the difficulties, such as the two-year suspension of exports to the EU from 2004, we have introduced the management method based on HACCP and FSMA to raise the level of quality control and clear the regulations of each country. It has become the cornerstone of the quality and reliability of « World’s Hikari, » which is favored by customers and now we achieved 54% market share in Japan.
History of pet food regulation
2001：
BSE outbreak in Japan, the manufacture /distribution of all products containing meat and bone meal, etc. was temporarily prohibited.
2004：
EU tightened regulation due to the BSE outbreak. Since the system required by the EU did not exist in Japan, exports have been stopped for 2 years.
2007：
Melamine incidents in pet food occurred in the USA.
2011：
EU tightened regulations in response to nuclear power plant accidents (East Japan Earthquake). Export was stopped temporarily.
2017：
Tightening regulations on pet food under the Food Safety Enhancement Act in the USA
4 purposes of ISO 22000 certification
1. Improved reliability through a global standard
Since ISO is an international & globally accepted certification system, it is possible to reach to the level of security and reliability in the world by obtaining ISO22000 certification.
＊We have introduced the management method based on HACCP, however, our factories have not certified because of range of certification subject to only food for human consumption.
＊We asked DNV GL, who has headquarter in Norway, and does the business for several risk management and operating their business in more than 100 countries, as a certification company. DNV GL has great influence internationally and we expect it supports our worldwide distributors quickly finish the customs clearance.
2. Improvement of quality level:
– System organization
– Awareness improvement
3. System organization
In order to respond to strict regulations and high demands from users, organize complicated in-house manufacturing procedures and rules according to global standards.
4. Awareness improvement
Acquisition of ISO certificate is an issue to be addressed not only in specific departments but within the entire company. We strive to raise awareness for matching the target of the entire company.
The target quality for the future
We could introduce the high-level safety management system by applying the ISO22000 system.
And based on this, we will continue to make improvements and will continue working to provide safe and reliable quality of Hikari products in a more stable manner.