The PAS 220 and 223 documents were originally used along with ISO 22000 to make up the requirements for FSSC 22000 certification. They have both been replaced with ISO Technical Specifications. The PAS documents played an important role in GFSI recognition for an ISO based certification scheme.

The PAS documents contained prerequisite program requirements for a specific industry, facilitating recognition of FSSC 22000 by GFSI that ISO 22000 alone had not been able to obtain.

Once ISO published the requirements as “Technical Specification” (TS), they were benchmarked for FSSC. The PAS documents have been replaced by the Technical Specifications ISO/TS 22002-1 and ISO/TS 22002-4. Some modifications were made to the requirements.

Here’s a breakdown of what PAS 220 and PAS 223 covered:

PAS 220

PAS 220, also known as Publicly Available Specification 220, provided specific requirements for prerequisite programs to assist in controlling food safety hazards in food manufacturing processes. Developed by the British Standards Institution (BSI), PAS 220 addressed various aspects of food safety, including construction and layout of buildings, supplies of air, water, energy, and other utilities, waste disposal, equipment suitability, cleaning and maintenance, management of purchased materials, measures for the prevention of cross-contamination, and pest control.

These specifications aimed to complement the ISO 22000 standard, enhancing its effectiveness and aiding organizations in achieving certification under the FSSC 22000 scheme by ensuring that all fundamental food safety requirements were met.

PAS 223

PAS 223 was designed specifically for the food packaging industry, providing detailed requirements for prerequisite programs essential for maintaining food safety during packaging manufacturing. This specification covered areas such as design and layout of facilities, utilities, waste management, storage, and transport, equipment, cleaning, and pest control, and established guidelines for managing chemical and physical contaminants.

Developed by the British Standards Institution (BSI), PAS 223 aimed to address the unique challenges faced by food packaging manufacturers, ensuring that their processes did not compromise food safety. By incorporating these detailed requirements, PAS 223 facilitated the recognition of FSSC 22000 by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) and helped packaging manufacturers align with international food safety standards.