SAPUWA PROUDLY RECIEVES CERTIFICATE ISO 22000/ HACCP

Percepting the significance of Quality in every times, the best competitive weapon, the importance and decide the existence and development of the company; thus, since the very beginning (1990), leaders of SAPUWA has put strongly positive impact applying modern management technology in production. With efforts, ideas and finance along with all employees, in 2001, management system was certificated ISO 9001:2000 (The International Organization for Standardization) and certificate of “Safe Quality Foods” SQF which is an international regulation in order to maximize food safety passed by SGS (Switzerland). These certifications frm individual organizations proved SAPUWA’s commitment to consumers where products with “Quality – Safety” from clean environment, clean material, safety.

SQF is certified through HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point System), GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) and SSOP (Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures). These appliances enhanced the prestige, trustworthy, and satisfactory abilities, competitiveness increasing that put SAPUWA to another level such as WTO Integration.

Passing through 22 years operation, management systems applied International Standard SQF/HACCP/GMP/SSOP/ISO 9001 maintained by SAPUWA, improvement and upgrade regularly that also adjusted to meet updated requirements in certain point.In Vietnam, in bottled water industry, this certificate only applied at SAPUWA becoming an unique company acknowledged nationwide and worldwide.

Searching for perfection

In the competitive environment nowadays, especially when Vietnam joins WTO Integrate, to adapt customer’s needs, increases productivity, obeys national laws, improves company’s image, minimizes expenses… choosing the International standards that meet these criteria are significant. With structure including multiple standards such as: GMP, SSOP, HACCP, EUROGAP, SQF, IFS, ISO 9001, ISO 14000, Foods Safety ISO 22000 management systems – requrements for any organization in the food chain provide many solutions to manage the system, guarantee the above benefits.

Up to now, Vietnam hasn’t yet regulated applying ISO 22000 standards for those who produced in foods industry. However, in the future, any company who may apply HACCP could be changed to ISO 22000 such as:  Regulate registered companies apply ISO 22000, and/or requirements by customers/suppliers. In addition, although there could be no official regulations, the trend might choose ISO 22000 for foods companies popularly. 

Application procedures for ISO 22000 at SAPUWA

Following the company’s guidance, September of 2013, SAPUWA started applying Foods Safety Management system ISO 22000:2005 to manage the production of bottled drinking water at 683 Quang Trung, Ward 11^th, Go Vap district, Hochiminh City, VN.   

The first step was to understand, study documents, system requirement, core elements of ISO 22000, from that realized the connection between ISO 22000 with the current system ISO 9001:2008/HACCP/ GMP/ SSOP. The departments related to the Procedures, documents, guidelines, regulations… began to do a checklist and then convert to the new system (changes, cancels or update) to meet the requirements. The schedule approximately took place within 06 months.         

In March of 2014, SAPUWA established Foods Safety’s Group ISO 22000, includes 10 members who are leaders of their departments: Vice General Director is Leader’s Representative – project’s manager. Group’s leader is Technology and Production Manager. Coordinator follow-ups, supervise, report the procedures to Project’s Manager and Group’s Leader. The group is very significant for system’s operation.

In March, all employees who related to ISO 22000 at SAPUWA were trained their perceptions, interpretation, internal examination about this standard from Professor Tu Bac Chung – Project’s Manager Foods from SGS Company lectured. After the reaining course was a guide to apply into the system. After the examination, there were 12 SAPUWA’s Employers successfully certified by SGS Company Vietnam accomplishment the training course of ISO 22000.

Next step is examining the production’s process compares to ISO 22000 standards prepared by Technology and Production Department. Based on the condition of design (space, wall, ceiling, floor, window…), clean production area (no pollution surround, lights, temperature, extermination lights, dirt blowaway machine, ultraviolet, handwash tub, hand-dry machine, boot Chlorine water tub… before entering the production area, waste water system, noise, recovery and wash water treatment…. All guided by Vietnam’s environmental protection laws, GMP’s policy from WHO and maximize the effects of foods safety guided by ISO 22000. Technicians, managers are well trained and certified professionally. All requirements are organized to follow the HACCP’s schedule for individual items.

SAPUWA was applying HACCP and ISO 9001:2008, which is very confortable to transform into ISO 22000:2005 because of its familiarity, experience…. However, to be adaptable ISO 22000:2005/ HACCP, all activities and management in the company are organized and regulated strictly on papers, and must be suitable for new standard.

Building a complete document is a hard step because of many document, required skills and times but still meet production schedule satisfying customer’s demands. Eventually, after more than 01 month, document system regulated activities, and management initially meet new standard.

In the meanwhile of update all the documents, the Technology and Production Department planned all the projects that they needed to be finished, repaired infrastructure, equipment…. These works were implemented during the month of April, and in May the factory finished with new infrastructure, official stamped new document satisfied ISO 22000.

After a month of new application, all employees started getting familiar with new procedures, activities. In this new process, the Foods Safety’s group did their internal examination in order to complete the system and resolved the issues that didn’t match to build a better system.

Development Advantages

With useful supports and fully supply all the necessary resources (Human, material, finance) to complete the system by the Board of Directors, in the early July of 2014, SAPUWA was certificated by SGS (Switzerland): Foods Safety Management System met the standard ISO 22000:2005/ HACCP, contributes the prestige and quality of SAPUWA to consumers. This is a stone to build a better, stronger SAPUWA. The company will be continued to put more efforts to enhance the better results, complete management system to meet consumer’s demands, social responsibilities, and foods safety standards.

The Certificate ISO 22000:2005 and HACCP are validated within 03 years from July, 2014 up to the month of July, 2017.

                                                                                    XUAN LAN – Admin. & Org. Dept.