You are only as safe as your suppliers. This is a top area for audit non-conformities.

At 4:47 PM, Elena Okafor reopened her binder.

The drains in Zone 2 had been acid-cleaned and photographed. The air filters were replaced—Maya found spares in a forgotten storage room. Leo, red-faced but silent, walked every line supervisor through a retraining session he wrote himself. The security footage of the regrind run was preserved, logged, and a corrective action was filed: “Production halt protocol reviewed – no future exceptions.”

The owners authorized $200,000 in emergency repairs via a conference call.

Elena walked the plant one last time. She checked the “top management” section again.

7.5 – Culture of food safety prioritized over production?
Evidence: Plant director halted production for 3 hours for unplanned maintenance. Interim QM documented real-time corrective actions. Ownership approved funds within 90 minutes. Status: CONFORMING.

She signed the checklist.

“Conditional certification,” Elena said. “Three months to close the remaining minors. Congratulations, ApexPak.”

Leo shook her hand stiffly. Then he turned to Maya.

“You’re not fired,” he said. “You’re promoted. My job, if you want it. I’ll be in maintenance where I belong.”

Maya looked at her tablet. The checklist was green now. But she knew the real work was just beginning.

At the top of the document, she typed a new note:
“ISO/TS 22002-4 is not a test. It’s a mirror. Today we looked. Tomorrow we improve.”

She smiled. Then she went to check the drains again.

The End.

The ISO/TS 22002-4 standard specifies requirements for prerequisite programs (PRPs) to assist in controlling food safety hazards in the manufacture of food packaging. It is a critical component for organizations seeking FSSC 22000 certification in the packaging sector. Top Checklist Categories for ISO/TS 22002-4

A comprehensive checklist typically covers these primary areas to ensure hygiene and operational safety:

Establishment & Layout: Evaluation of the workspace, including internal structures, workspace flow, and the separation of raw materials from finished products to prevent cross-contamination.

Utilities & Waste: Monitoring air, water, and energy supplies, alongside strict protocols for waste management and disposal.

Equipment Suitability: Ensuring all machinery is designed for easy cleaning and maintenance, and that it is made from materials safe for food-contact packaging.

Management of Purchased Materials: Verification of incoming materials and a robust system for supplier approval and monitoring.

Measures for Prevention of Contamination: Includes physical, chemical, and biological hazard controls, as well as strict allergen management.

Cleaning and Sanitizing: Detailed schedules for cleaning facilities and equipment, including the validation of cleaning effectiveness.

Pest Control: Documented programs for inspection, monitoring, and the safe use of pesticides within the facility.

Personnel Hygiene: Requirements for staff facilities, protective clothing, and health monitoring to prevent human-borne contamination.

Rework & Product Withdrawal: Procedures for handling non-conforming products and effective recall mechanisms.

Storage and Transport: Maintaining appropriate conditions during storage and shipping to preserve the integrity of the packaging material. Key Documentation

For a successful audit, your checklist should verify the existence of: A formal Hazard Analysis for packaging.

Documented Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for each PRP. Training records for employees on food safety and hygiene.

The ISO/TS 22002-100 framework can also be used as a reference to consolidate shared PRPs across different sectors.

ISO/TS 22002-4 standard specifies the prerequisite programs (PRPs) for food safety in the manufacturing of food packaging . It is a critical component for organizations seeking FSSC 22000 certification ISO/TS 22002-4 Checklist: Key Focus Areas

A comprehensive internal audit checklist for ISO/TS 22002-4 typically covers the following technical requirements to ensure food safety hazards are controlled: Establishment Infrastructure Environment & Location : Is the site located away from potential contaminants? Layout & Workspace

: Are internal designs, traffic patterns, and equipment placement optimized to prevent cross-contamination?

: Are air quality, ventilation, and water supplies monitored and treated as necessary? Waste and Equipment Management Waste Handling

: Are there documented procedures for waste removal and drainage? Equipment Suitability

: Is equipment designed for easy cleaning and maintenance (hygienic design)? Maintenance

: Are preventive and corrective maintenance schedules established and recorded? Operational Controls Purchased Materials

: Is there a selection and management process for suppliers of raw materials? Contamination Prevention

: Are measures in place to prevent microbiological, physical, and chemical contamination? Cleaning & Sanitizing

: Are cleaning schedules and concentrations for sanitizing agents documented and verified? Personnel and Hygiene Personnel Hygiene

: Are facilities for handwashing and changing available and used correctly? Product Information : Is labeling accurate to prevent consumer misuse? How to Write Up Your Checklist Results

When performing a write-up after an audit or for a procedure, follow these steps to ensure clarity and compliance: ISO - International Organization for Standardization Define the Scope

: Clearly state which part of the packaging manufacturing process is covered (e.g., "Extrusion and Printing for Food-Grade Films"). Align with Clauses

: Structure your write-up using the clause numbers of the ISO/TS 22002-4 standard (e.g., Clause 4.7 for Contamination Prevention). Identify Conformance : For each item, indicate (Compliant), (Non-compliant), or Detail Evidence

: Do not just check a box. List specific evidence, such as "Reviewed cleaning records for Line 4 dated March 2026." Draft Corrective Actions

: If a requirement is not met, define a clear, time-bound corrective action to address the gap. Use Plain Language

: Keep sentences short and use active voice to avoid misinterpretation by auditors or staff. ISO - International Organization for Standardization Related Standard Components : Provides the overarching management system framework. HACCP Plan

: Required alongside PRPs to manage critical control points. DNV - Global for a specific section, such as Contamination Prevention Supplier Management how-to-write-standards.pdf - ISO

Pests in a packaging plant contaminate millions of units very quickly.

Glass shards and broken hard plastic are catastrophic contaminants.

Food packaging often requires compressed air to blow-mold bottles or move materials. This air touches the food-contact surface.

ISO 22000:2018 requires organizations to establish, implement, and maintain PRPs. However, ISO 22000 is generic. ISO/TS 22002-4 provides the specific requirements for the food packaging sector, covering:

A top-tier checklist ensures you don't confuse general hygiene rules (suitable for a bakery) with the rigorous chemical and physical hazard controls required for a printing press making multilayer food pouches.

When reviewing real ISO/TS 22002-4 audits, these are the most frequent failures:

| Area | Non-Conformity | |------|----------------| | Compressed air | No microbial testing or filter changes recorded | | Inks & adhesives | Missing migration data for low-contact surfaces (e.g., bag-in-box outer layers) | | Maintenance | Temporary repairs (tape, wire) left for >48 hours | | Personnel | Operators wearing personal gloves from home (no proof of food-grade) | | Traceability | Mixed scrap recycling bins causing rework contamination |

A top checklist explicitly includes verification activities for these weak points.

Iso Ts 220024 Checklist Top Direct