What Is PAS 223?

What Is PAS 223?

PAS 223 is a Publicly Available Specification developed specifically to address food safety through prerequisite programmes (PRPs) in the design and manufacture of food and beverage packaging. PAS 223 is applied alongside ISO 22000, the international food-safety management system standard, across the food supply chain. Certification to PAS 223 supports structured management of packaging-safety risks in food packaging manufacture.

PAS 223 is suitable for food-packaging suppliers of all sizes. The site-level standards within PAS 223 cover equipment maintenance, storage and transport of equipment, procurement, cleaning and sanitation, pest control, personnel hygiene, and product-recall procedures.

PAS 223 can be applied by any operator that manufactures food packaging, regardless of the size or complexity of the operation. PAS 223 is not designed for other links in the food chain and is not applied to them. Food packaging manufacturers vary, and each requirement in the document is assessed in context.

PAS 223 is not a management-system standard in its own right. When viewed in the round, it contributes to continual improvement of the operator's existing system.

How PAS 223 Is Used

In practice, operators apply PAS 223 in combination with a management system (often ISO 22000) to build a full food-safety framework. The PRPs set out in PAS 223 translate hygiene, infrastructure, and operational controls into auditable requirements.

Relationship to FSSC 22000

PAS 223 is the technical specification paired with ISO 22000 inside the FSSC 22000 certification scheme for food packaging manufacturers. Operators seeking GFSI-recognised certification use this pairing as the baseline for the scheme.

Getting Started

For a gap analysis against PAS 223 and a plan for pairing it with ISO 22000 or FSSC 22000, contact Sistem Patent Kalite.