Overview
ISO 22002-7:2025 - Prerequisite Programmes on Food Safety - Part 7: Retail and Wholesale provides internationally recognized requirements for establishing, implementing, and maintaining prerequisite programmes (PRPs) that control food safety hazards specifically within the retail and wholesale sectors of the food chain. Published by ISO, this standard applies to organizations of all types and sizes, including supermarkets, wholesalers, food banks, and other food supply outlets. ISO 22002-7:2025 is designed to support food safety management systems that meet the requirements set out in ISO 22000, and it complements other food safety standards to ensure comprehensive protection from food safety risks in food retail and wholesale environments.
Key Topics
ISO 22002-7:2025 covers a comprehensive range of essential topics to provide robust food safety controls in retail and wholesale settings:
- Facility Construction and Layout: Requirements for the physical boundaries, environment, and construction to minimize contamination risks.
- Facility and Workspace Design: Principles for designing internal structures, placing equipment, and organizing storage of food, packaging, and chemicals.
- Utilities Management: Guidelines on water, air, ventilation, and lighting to ensure all utilities are safe and suitable for food environments.
- Pest Control: Procedures for pest monitoring, access prevention, and eradication.
- Waste and Recycling: Methods for effective waste and food loss management, including the handling of waste containers and recycling processes.
- Equipment Suitability and Maintenance: Ensuring all equipment is fit for purpose, maintained, and does not contribute to food contamination.
- Management of Purchased Materials: Control over incoming goods to ensure compliance with food safety requirements.
- Storage, Warehousing, and Transport: Safe storage, dispatch, and transport practices to avoid spoilage or contamination.
- Contamination Prevention Measures: Controls for microbiological, allergenic, physical, and chemical contamination, with emphasis on allergen management and cross-contamination prevention.
- Cleaning and Disinfection: Requirements for cleaning agents, cleaning procedures, and documented sanitation programmes.
- Personal Hygiene and Facilities: Measures covering hygiene facilities, workwear, health status, personnel cleanliness, and management of visitors.
- Product and Consumer Information: Labelling and consumer information for effective traceability and safety communication.
- Food Defence and Fraud: Steps to mitigate intentional adulteration and prevent food fraud.
- Rework Controls: Handling and usage of rework to maintain product integrity and traceability.
- Display Requirements: Proper display, temperature control, product rotation, and monitoring of display equipment.
Applications
ISO 22002-7:2025 is vital for organizations operating in the food retail and wholesale segments, including:
- Supermarkets and Food Retail Outlets: Ensuring safe handling, storage, display, and provision of food to consumers.
- Wholesalers and Food Banks: Safeguarding bulk food handling, distribution, and storage.
- Convenience and Specialty Stores: Providing uniform food safety standards across outlets, both large and small.
By implementing ISO 22002-7:2025, businesses can:
- Enhance Food Safety: Prevent food safety hazards throughout storage, handling, and display.
- Support Regulatory Compliance: Align internal procedures with global food safety standards and regulations.
- Boost Consumer Confidence: Provide safe food products and accurate labelling to earn consumer trust.
- Integrate with ISO 22000 Systems: Seamlessly connect PRPs to their food safety management systems for a holistic approach.
- Enable Scalability: Apply requirements to operations of any scale or complexity.
Related Standards
Organizations seeking alignment and integration with other leading food safety standards should review:
- ISO 22000 - Food safety management systems - Requirements for any organization in the food chain
- ISO 22002-100 - Prerequisite programmes on food safety - Part 100: Requirements for the food, feed, and packaging supply chain
- ISO 20976-1 - Microbiology of the food chain - Challenge tests for food and feed products
- BS/PAS 221:2013 - Prerequisite programmes for food safety in food retail – Specification
- UNI 11890 - Food safety – Validation of operational prerequisite programs
Adopting ISO 22002-7:2025 as part of your food safety management practices not only helps achieve compliance but also promotes a culture of safety, quality, and trust in the food retail and wholesale industries.