ABSTRACT
In the past, a series of specifi c QM systems for various industries have come into existence worldwide. In 1964, the Good Production Practice [World Health Organization (WHO) directive] was developed for the pharmaceutical and food industries. The Good Laboratory Practice [Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) directive] followed in 1978 and the Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points (National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods directive) in 1992. The EU with its “Global Concept” (1985) strongly promoted the development of QM systems and expanded them to production and services, which therefore covered the documentation of ecologically justifi - able dealings in energy, material, and waste.
