(ISO: Geneva) -- Implementation of ISO management system standards for food safety and for information security (with IEC) has sharply increased, as revealed by The ISO Survey of Certifications—2008.

Certification to ISO 22000:2005, which gives the requirements for food safety management systems, shot up by more than 96 percent during 2008. At the same time, certification to ISO/IEC 27001:2005, which gives the requirements for information security management systems, increased by more than 20 percent.

Despite the financial crisis, which began in 2007 and spread to most countries and sectors of the economy in 2008, The ISO Survey reveals certification activity around one or more of ISO’s management system standards in 176 countries (175 in 2007).

"This a clear demonstration that they have become essential tools of the world economy and retain their attraction for organizations even in time of crisis. It is also possible that organizations look to management systems for supporting their objectives even more during a crisis," according to the introduction to the survey.

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