When it comes to food safety and quality, consumers place their trust in manufacturers to deliver products that are not only delicious but also safe to consume. The Safe Quality Food (SQF) Program provides a stringent and globally recognized certification that assures consumers and suppliers alike of a product’s excellence in safety and quality standards.
This blog explores key insights into the SQF auditing process, including practical tips, essential best practices, and self-assessment checklists.
What is SQFI – The Safe Quality Food (SQF) Institute?
SQF stands for Safe Quality Food; it is a food safety standard ensuring the integrity of the food supply chain. Developed by the SQF Institute, the SQF certification is recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) and signifies compliance with globally recognized food safety management systems.
So, why is SQF essential? With globalization fueling increased demand for food products worldwide, ensuring consumer safety while maintaining quality is paramount. GFSI, through standards like SQF, aims to achieve this by setting stringent benchmarks for food safety management.
SQF certification covers every aspect of the supply chain, from production to distribution, ensuring consistent quality and safety standards are met.
The SQF Institute is a division of FMI – The Food Industry Association. Recognizing food safety as a top priority, FMI sought to strengthen existing initiatives by incorporating a comprehensive site certification program. The SQF program, integral to managing food safety from ‘farm-to-fork,’ aligns with pre-requisite programs like Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), ensuring adherence to buyer specifications and enhancing the integrity of the food chain.
👉 Additional Resources: GMP
A Brief History of SQF & SQF Codes
The history of SQF Codes dates back to 1994. Developed in Australia, these codes were designed to provide a comprehensive framework for managing food safety risks and ensuring the quality of food products from farm to fork.
By the year 2000, the importance of food safety was unequivocally recognized by members of the Food Marketing Institute (FMI). This recognition led to a significant milestone in 2003 when FMI acquired the SQF Program from the Western Australia Department of Agriculture. Subsequently, the SQF Institute was established in Arlington, VA, USA, marking a new chapter in the program’s history.
2004 was a landmark year as the SQF Codes received recognition from the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) as a standard meeting its benchmark requirements.
The SQF Codes are anchored in universally accepted scientific principles, including the CODEX Alimentarius HACCP Guidelines and ISO 17065 standards.
With the release of SQF Codes Edition 9 in 2021, the program reaffirms its commitment to evolving with the industry’s needs.
What are SQF Codes?
The 11 industry-specific SQF codes are tailored to meet the stringent requirements of the food supply chain.
The SQF Codes emphasize a systematic approach to risk management, with a focus on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) methodology. This ensures that hazards are identified and controlled effectively throughout the production process. Whether you operate locally or globally, implementing an SQF management system addresses both food safety and quality requirements.
The latest edition, SQF Codes Edition 9, published in October 2020, sets the standard for food safety management systems. Effective for audits from May 24, 2021, Edition 9 aligns with the GFSI benchmarking requirements. It provides clear, step-by-step instructions for production and manufacturing sites to achieve SQF certification.
With a strong HACCP-based plan, you can mitigate risks effectively, safeguarding the integrity and quality of your food products.
SQF Audits: Your Roadmap to SQF Certification
SQF audits are essential evaluations conducted to assess the compliance of a company’s food safety and quality management systems against the SQF Code’s standards. These audits are performed by licensed SQF practitioners and can vary in scope and depth, depending on the level of SQF certification the company is aiming to achieve or maintain.
👉 SQF audits are scored based on the severity of non-conformities found, categorized into minor, major, and critical, with each requiring corrective actions within specified timeframes.
Companies must address these non-conformities to pass the audit and either achieve or maintain their SQF certification.
SQF certification, on the other hand, is the recognition awarded to companies that successfully pass these SQF audits. Achieving SQF certification requires a comprehensive understanding of the SQF Code, implementing a strong food safety management system, and undergoing a thorough audit by an SQF-licensed certification body.
Here are the 5 SQF certification programs:
| SQF Certification Program | Who It’s For | Why You Need It |
| Food Safety Program | All food producers in the food industry | Helps integrate robust food safety standards into your existing practices and is often required for entry into the market |
| Fundamentals Program | Small and medium-sized enterprises | Addresses a buyer’s food safety requirements and provides solutions for businesses supplying local and global food markets |
| Quality Program | Sites that have already implemented a robust food safety plan | Uses a risk-based method such as Codex HACCP to identify and control quality threats |
| Foodservice Program | Businesses in the food service industry | Allows you to create a food safety culture and program that will reduce and eliminate food safety risks |
| Food Retail Program | Food retailers | Builds transparency for customers and builds internal confidence within a company |
Benefits of SQF Certification
Depending on your company’s current level of certification and on several factors, it takes anywhere from 6 months to 2 years or more to become certified, but there are many advantages to obtaining an SQF certification, including the following:
- It sets you apart as a brand your customers can trust.
- It ensures compliance with the most stringent regulatory standards.
- It demonstrates your commitment to exceeding industry norms.
SQF Certification Bodies
SQF Certification Bodies are licensed organizations responsible for conducting SQF audits and issuing SQF certificates. It’s essential to select a Certification Body that is not only licensed by the SQFI (Safe Quality Food Institute) but also accredited to the international standard ISO/IEC 17065:2012. It ensures that the Certification Body operates under the highest standards for certifying products and services.
To be licensed for SQF auditing, a Certification Body must first be accredited by an Accreditation Body that is a member of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and approved by the SQFI.
Choosing the Right Certification Body
The SQFI provides a Certification Body Directory to help businesses locate licensed Certification Bodies both nationwide and globally. When selecting a Certification Body, consider their expertise in your specific sector of the food industry, their geographic coverage, and their reputation. This choice can significantly impact the efficiency and success of your certification process.
SQF Audits Best Practices
Here are some best practices to help you streamline your SQF audit process:
- Prioritize Self-Assessment:
Before an SQF audit, conduct thorough self-assessments and internal audits to evaluate food safety and quality management systems, aligning them with SQF Code requirements.
- Streamline Processes Digitally:
Use digital auditing software, like GoAudits food safety and inspections software to streamline SQF audit processes, reducing manual paperwork and administrative burdens.
- Use SQF Audit Checklists:
Use digital SQF audit checklists to uphold stringent standards consistently. GoAudits offers an extensive list of SQF checklists. You can use the checklists offered by GoAudits, create your own checklist, or let us do it for you. The best part is that we’ll create checklists for you at no cost and within a couple of days. With GoAudits, you can ensure compliance without excessive paperwork.
- Automate Manual Tasks:
An inspection and auditing software like GoAudits can help you automate data collection and analysis, enhancing inspection processes significantly. GoAudits facilitates real-time data analysis, providing instant insights for ongoing improvements and regulatory compliance. The audit scores across locations help you get a complete overview of your food business.
- Ensure Stakeholder Buy-in:
Involve all stakeholders in the SQF audit process, fostering collaboration and commitment to food safety excellence. Digital solutions facilitate transparency and accessibility, encouraging participation.
- Implement Corrective Actions:
GoAudits enables you to easily manage corrective actions following the SQF audit. It allows you to assign corrective actions to specific team members, ensuring accountability through notification of the issue, priority, and due date. It enables you to track the completion status of tasks through a centralized dashboard, ensuring that no task is overlooked.
- Stay Informed and Updated:
Stay abreast of SQF Code revisions and industry best practices to adapt SQF audit processes accordingly. Regular training and knowledge-sharing sessions empower staff to uphold the highest standards.
How to Prepare for an SQF Audit?
To achieve SQF certification, follow these steps, with each phase addressing specific aspects of the certification process:
- Certification Overview
The SQF Certification journey begins once a business decides to pursue it, involving learning about the Code, registering for certification, preparing for the audit, scheduling, conducting the audit, and finally, renewing the certification.
- Register for SQF Certification
Registration involves selecting the appropriate SQF program for your business and registering your site through the SQF Assessment Database. This database acts as a centralized platform for registration, document submission, and tracking progress toward certification. The process duration varies based on the organization’s size and operations.
- Prepare for the SQF Audit
Preparation involves designating an SQF Practitioner, determining the scope of certification, and documenting and implementing your SQF System.
Ahead of the SQF audit by a third party, organizations can also conduct a series of SQF self-assessments and internal audits. During this process, the company’s food safety and quality management systems, documentation, and operational practices are assessed against the requirements set out in the relevant SQF Code, typically resulting in a gap analysis and a corrective action plan. For larger organizations and processes, this can quickly become a complex project.
An SQF Practitioner is responsible for overseeing the development, implementation, review, and maintenance of the SQF system. The scope of certification should include the food sector categories, products, and processes included in your SQF system, which needs to be documented and implemented according to the SQF Code.
- Select and Schedule Audit
Certification Bodies employ auditors to conduct site audits. They operate both nationwide and globally, and you can use the SQFI directory to find a Certification Body near you. Once you have selected the certification body, you can schedule the SQF audit.
Measure your SQF Certification Readiness with GoAudits
Successfully obtaining SQF certification requires you to have a score of at least 70%. With GoAudits, you’ll have access to automated scoring and reliable insights ahead of the external SQF audit.
GoAudits can help you streamline the SQF audit process, ensuring businesses not only meet but exceed the standards required for SQF certification. It simplifies audit preparation and follow-through with a suite of features designed to optimize performance and compliance.
With its automated instant reports feature, GoAudits has eliminated the cumbersome process of manual report writing. It helps you instantly generate comprehensive reports upon inspection completion, facilitating immediate sharing and review.
GoAudits also allows you to automatically email the generated reports to relevant team members, ensuring that insights are shared in real-time.
GoAudits smart scoring feature gives you a clear overview of the audit’s overall results and specific section scores. Additionally, it allows you to track historical trends and recurring issues, enabling businesses to identify and address persistent problems, and ensuring continuous improvement and compliance.
Free SQF Audit Checklists
You can start your SQF self-assessments immediately. Check out the FREE SQF audit checklists from the GoAudits checklist library:
- SQFI Quality Checklist
- SQFI Food Packaging Checklist
- SQFI Food Manufacturing Audit Checklist
- SQFI Storage And Distribution Checklist
- SQFI Primary Plant Production Checklist
- SQFI Primary Animal Production Checklist
- SQFI Aquaculture Checklist
- SQFI Pet Food Manufacturing Checklist
- SQFI Animal Product Manufacturing Checklist
- SQFI Manufacturing of Food Packaging Checklist
👉 In addition to the above SQF audit checklists, GoAudits also offers a library of other food safety and inspection checklists.
FAQs
What is the difference between HACCP and SQF?
HACCP focuses on preventing hazards that could cause foodborne illnesses by identifying critical control points in the production process. It is a preventive approach to food safety.
👉 Additional Resources: HACCP
SQF, on the other hand, is a comprehensive food safety and quality management system that incorporates HACCP principles but extends beyond to include quality control and food safety management across the supply chain.
The main differences are:
- HACCP is risk-based and focuses only on food safety hazards. SQF takes a more holistic quality management systems approach.
- HACCP identifies CCPs, and SQF looks at the whole food safety and quality system.
- HACCP compliance is required by regulators in many countries/industries. SQF is a voluntary certification program.
How can HACCP and SQF be used together?
HACCP and SQF are two food safety and quality management systems designed to complement each other. Regardless of the differences between the two, HACCP and SQF can be used together. The HACCP plan and CCPs are integrated into the SQF food safety plan.
So SQF provides the broader quality system framework that includes HACCP for food safety hazard identification and control. HACCP lays the groundwork for identifying and managing food safety risks, while SQF builds upon this to ensure comprehensive quality and safety management, satisfying regulatory requirements and consumer expectations alike.
What is the difference between GFSI and SQF?
SQF is a certification program that provides a comprehensive solution for implementing, validating, and monitoring food safety and quality controls.
SQF certification is benchmarked by GFSI, which sets international standards for food safety. Since 2004, SQF has been recognized by GFSI as conforming to the highest global standards, with protocols endorsed by the International Accreditation Forum.
The key difference between GFSI and SQF lies in their roles: GFSI sets the standards for food safety, while SQF provides a certification program that ensures compliance with these standards. Essentially, GFSI establishes the rules, and SQF helps businesses follow them effectively.
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