Leadership and commitment (5.1)
Top management must show that it integrates food safety requirements into business processes, allocates resources and communicates the importance of meeting them, including legal requirements and those agreed with customers. An auditor looks for this in concrete decisions: investments approved, production stopped after a deviation, objectives revised.
Food safety policy (5.2)
It must be appropriate to the context, provide a framework for the objectives, include a commitment to meet applicable requirements, address internal and external communication and continual improvement, and address the need to ensure competence. It is maintained as documented information and communicated within the organisation and, where appropriate, to interested parties.
Roles and the team leader (5.3)
Top management appoints the food safety team leader, who leads the multidisciplinary team, organises its work, ensures its training and competence and reports on the effectiveness of the system.
In addition, all staff are responsible for reporting problems with the system to the designated person. That reporting channel has to exist and be known on the production floor.
What an auditor usually asks for
- Food safety policy approved, communicated and available
- Appointment of the food safety team leader, with their duties
- Composition of the food safety team, with evidence of competence
- Channel for staff to report food safety problems
How to cover leadership in Kimobox
- 1Publish the policy as a controlled document with read receipts from staff.
- 2Assign the leader and members of the food safety team to processes on the map, each with their competence record.
- 3Set up an incident reporting form that can be reached from the employee portal.
An operator who spots a problem and does not know whom to tell is a clause 5 finding, however impeccable the HACCP plan.
Where each figure comes from
References to the official text in force. If a standard is revised, this page is updated and the review date says so.
- ISO 22000:2018 — Food safety management systems. Requirements for any organization in the food chain ISO · 2018 ed. (2nd edition), published June 2018
- ISO 22000:2018/Amd 1:2024 — Climate action changes ISO · February 2024
- ISO/DIS 22000 — Draft revision of the standard (3rd edition) ISO · Under development
- ISO 22002-100:2025 — Prerequisite programmes on food safety. Part 100: requirements for the food, feed and packaging chain ISO · 29 July 2025
- ISO 22002-1:2025 — Prerequisite programmes on food safety. Part 1: food manufacturing ISO · 29 July 2025; replaces ISO/TS 22002-1:2009
- General Principles of Food Hygiene, CXC 1-1969 Codex Alimentarius (FAO/WHO) · 2020 revision
- Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs EUR-Lex · 29 April 2004
- Regulation (EC) No 178/2002, Articles 18 and 19 (traceability and withdrawal) EUR-Lex · 28 January 2002