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Achieving globally recognized food safety and quality regulatory requirements emerges more than just a regulatory milestone but as a testament to your commitment to excellence. Safe Quality Food (SQF) is one such food safety standard.
GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative) has approved SQF as a benchmarked scheme that meets their stringent requirements for food safety management systems (FSMS). This recognition means that companies implementing SQF can demonstrate compliance with GFSI’s global standards, enhancing their credibility and market access. Here’s a concise guide to successfully complying with SQF certification, along with some essential information you need to know.
A Quick Look at the SQF Certification Program
SQF certification provides independent and external verification that a product, process, or service complies with international, regulatory, and other specified standards. It involves a rigorous process that includes implementing an FSMS, conducting internal audits, and undergoing a certification audit by an accredited certification body.
The standard covers all aspects of food production, from primary production to manufacturing, packaging, and distribution, ensuring that every step of the supply chain meets adequate food safety and quality requirements.
The latest version of the SQF Food Safety Codes is Edition 9, which was published in October 2020 and became effective for audits taking place from May 24, 2021. Edition 9 consists of 17 industry-specific codes that offer detailed instructions to help production and manufacturing sites achieve SQF Certification. The SQF Edition 10 is expected to be released in the first or second quarter of 2025, with a minimum implementation period of six months.
Guidelines to Achieve SQF Certification
As a business that has decided to get SQF-certified, given below are the recommended actions to be followed:
1. Comprehending Requirements
⇒ Research: The first step is to thoroughly understand the SQF code and its requirements. Review the SQF Code and associated guidance documents to grasp the specific requirements applying to your business operations.
⇒ SQF Training Resources: Consider attending SQF training programs or workshops to gain a thorough understanding of the certification process.
2. Management Commitment
⇒ Leadership Commitment: Secure commitment and support from senior management to allocate resources and prioritize SQF certification.
⇒ Policy Development: Develop a food safety policy and ensure it is communicated throughout the organization.
3. Assembling a Dedicated Team
⇒ Form a Food Safety Team: Assemble a team responsible for the development, implementation, review, and maintenance of the SQF system.
⇒ SQF Practitioner: Every certified site is required to have a suitably qualified SQF practitioner to oversee the SQF system, including the system elements, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), and food safety plans.
⇒ Assign Roles and Responsibilities: Clearly define roles and responsibilities within the team.
4. Defining the Scope of Certification
⇒ Decide the Scope of Certification: Before implementing the SQF Code, you must decide the scope of certification, encompassing food sector categories, products, and processes, as this will determine which elements of the SQF Food Safety Code need to be documented, implemented, and audited.
⇒ Agreement and Consistency of Scope: The scope must be agreed upon between your site and the certification body before the initial audit and remain unchanged during or immediately after the audit.
5. Conducting a Gap Analysis
⇒ Conduct a Gap Analysis: Conduct a gap analysis to identify areas where your current practices fall short of the SQF requirements.
⇒ Develop an Action Plan: Create a detailed action plan to address identified gaps and achieve compliance.
6. Establishing and Applying Requirements
⇒ Procedure Documents and Records: Create and document food safety policies and procedures based on the SQF Code.
⇒ Documentation Control: Implement a system for managing and controlling documents.
⇒ Training and Education: Train staff on the new policies, procedures, and their roles in the SQF system.
⇒ System Implementation: Roll out the SQF system across the organization, ensuring all processes align with documented procedures.
7. Performing Pre-assessment
⇒ Conduct Internal Audits: Regularly audit the system internally to ensure compliance and identify areas for improvement.
⇒ Pre-assessment Audit: Optionally, engage a consultant or certification body to conduct a pre-assessment audit to gauge readiness.
8. Selecting the Certification Body
⇒ Choose a Certification Body: Select an accredited certification body to perform the SQF certification audit. It is important to select a body with experience in your industry.
⇒ Schedule the Audit: Coordinate with the certification body to schedule the audit.
9. Certification Audit
⇒ Audit: Audit activities may include follow-ups on disputed documents and interviews, observation of work procedures, verification of food safety plans and GMPs, and ensuring the FSMS covers all products, processes, and facilities within the certification scope.
⇒ Scoring & Grading: The SQF food safety audit scores each applicable clause based on evidence collected, with scores of 0 for meeting criteria, 1 for minor non-conformance, 5 for major non-conformance, and 50 for critical non-conformance. The overall site rating is calculated as (100 – N), where N is the sum of these scores, indicating compliance level and guiding the certification body’s required surveillance.
⇒ Closing of Audit Findings: Address any non-conformities identified during the audit and provide evidence of corrective actions.
⇒ Outcome of the Certification Audit: The certification body reviews the audit findings and determines certification status.
⇒ Issuance of the Certification: Once all non-conformities have been addressed and if compliant, the certification body will issue the SQF certificate, valid for a specified period (usually one year).
10. Continuous Improvement
⇒ Ongoing Compliance: Continuously monitor and maintain compliance with SQF requirements. SQF standards are regularly updated to align with GFSI benchmarking requirements, with the latest update being the development of SQF Edition 10.
⇒ Annual Audits: Undergo annual surveillance audits by the certification body to maintain certification status.
⇒ Continuous Improvement: Implement a process for ongoing improvement of the food safety and quality management system.
The application of modern solutions can optimize SQF compliance by aiding food establishments in setting up the best practices for SQF certification. The usage of tech-enabled and digital solutions to heighten performance in the different aspects of SQF certification presents a plethora of opportunities to overcome the challenges that can emerge in the process as well.
Elevate the SQF Certification Process with Smart Food Safe
Smart Food Safe provides all the tools necessary to make your SQF certification process smooth, efficient, and fully digital. By leveraging Smart Food Safe’s solutions, your entire SQF audit process can be performed digitally, reducing the time and resources spent on audit preparation while ensuring ongoing compliance with SQF standards. This positions your business for long-term success in the food industry.
With 18+ software modules, this platform provides comprehensive coverage of all areas required for SQF compliance. Instead of sorting through piles of paper, you will have all the information at your fingertips, organized and ready to present, ensuring audit preparedness at all times. In short, Smart Food Safe equips a food business to enhance process efficiency and digital transparency in food safety program management, simplifying the path to being SQF certified.
