Evaluating the reality of food safety management in accordance with ISO 22000:201 8 and its role in improving supply chain operations

The current study aims to evaluate the reality of food safety management in food production companies according to the requirements of the ISO 22000:2018 standard and its relationship to the supply chain processes implemented in these companies. It also aims to identify the extent of the gap in implementation and documentation, as well as its causes, of the food safety management system and supply chain processes. The study’s problem lies in the lack of knowledge and interest among senior management and employees in some companies regarding food safety management systems and the benefits of implementing them, which greatly harms these companies’ reputation and market position. This study stands out from previous studies in that it highlights the relationship and impact of implementing a food safety management system on improving supply chain operations. To conduct the study, one of the largest food production companies in Iraq was selected as the study sample. Checklists were used as the primary data collection tool, along with several other statistical methods for analysis. The added value of the study lies in its proposed action plans to address the identified gap in the implementation of food safety management systems and supply chain operations within companies. The study reached several conclusions, including that the senior management of companies plays the greatest role in reducing the gap between actual reality and food safety management requirements according to ISO 22,000 − 2018. This is achieved by establishing an entity or administrative level responsible for food safety. Furthermore, the documentation process within the company is important, as is the existence of a strong correlation and statistically significant impact between the food safety management system according to the standards and supply chain operations.