Checklists
SQF Certification

GFSI Compliance Checklist Series – SQF Certifcation

The Safe Quality Food Institute’s (SQFI) SQF Codes are a process and product certification standard created and maintained by SQFI, a division of the Arlington, Virginia-based trade association, Food Marketing Institute (FMI). The Codes are based on the international standard ISO/IEC 17065 and benchmarked to the Global Food Safety Initiative’s (GFSI) Guidance Document version 6.4. The Code is intended for use by all food industry sectors from primary production to transport and distribution.

Understanding HACCP

The main feature of the SQF Codes is its emphasis on the systematic application of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) to identify and control food safety and food quality hazards. Thus, implementing this management system addresses a buyer’s food safety and quality requirements and provides a comprehensive solution for businesses supplying local and global food markets.

Get Ready for SQF Certification

TraceGains developed this series of checklists in collaboration with our partner, Jason Sapsin, Sr. Legal Editor, Food & Drug at Thomson Reuters Publishing. Sapsin is a former FDA associate chief counsel and is based in Boulder, Colorado. Download the SQF Audit Checklist to find out 8 critical steps for SQF certification.

The SQF Code

SQF Codes certification supports industry or company-branded products and offers benefits to certified sites and their customers. Implementing an SQF System addresses a buyer’s food safety and quality requirements and provides a solution for businesses supplying local and global food markets. As a result, products produced and manufactured under SQF Code certification retain widespread acceptance in international markets.

SQFI updated and redesigned the codes with edition 9 in 2021 for all food industry sectors from primary production to storage and distribution and included a food safety code for retailers.

With this standard, SQFI helps make GFSI certification more attainable for smaller companies by dividing the process into three steps: from Level 1, which incorporates basic food safety controls appropriate for low-risk products, all the way to Level 3, indicating a comprehensive implementation of food safety and quality management systems development.

Audit Ready, Every Day

Audits can be a burden and requirements aren’t getting any simpler. But with easy checklists and pre-loaded templates, coupled with the power of Networked Ingredients, TraceGains puts you out in front of compliance issues. Know where you stand at all times, and turn audits into a competitive advantage.

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