Eureka! Institutional Repository

The purpose of the present thesis is to highlight the importance of the issue of food safety and in particular the need to implement such systems, highlighting the significant and multilevel benefits of their implementation. Focusing on the most widespread and recognized ISO 2000: 2005 Food Safety Management System, the aim of this thesis is to present it, analyze its specific elements, and generally present the key elements of food safety that must be met on the basis of the principles of the HACCP. At the sameωtime, the research effort seeks to capture the reality of the negotiated issues concerning the food industry of Thessaly, highlighting any weaknesses and shortcomings, but also drawing useful conclusions in the field of food safety. The results of the survey show that food companies in Thessaly consider it necessary to implement a food safety management system and this is demonstrated by the fact that they all apply a food safety management system, either ISO 22000, HACCP or some other system. The motivation for their implementation was the legal framework, but also the benefits that companies gain, both in terms of safety and quality of products, and their efficiency. However, there are difficulties in implementing food safety management systems, and there are points where businesses can focus to improve and become more efficient.