SQF stands for Safe Quality Food. The SQF Institute, a division of FMI—The Food Industry Association, administers the SQF Program. A licensed certification body confirms a site against the SQF code on the certificate. 21 CFR Part 117 is FDA's current good manufacturing practice rule for human food, in what cGMP is.

What SQF stands for, and who runs it

SQFI's what-is page uses the expansion in the name "The SQF (Safe Quality Food) Institute." It states that the Institute "is a division of FMI—The Food Industry Association, established to administer the SQF Program, a leading global food safety and quality certification and management system." The same page states SQFI's mission: "to deliver consistent, globally recognized food safety and quality certification programs based on sound scientific principles, applied across all industry sectors, and valued by all stakeholders."

That page's history list dates development of the SQF Codes to 1994 in Australia. It dates the first edition of SQF 2000 to 1995. It states that FMI purchased the SQF Program on September 1, 2003, from the Western Australia Department of Agriculture, and established the SQF Institute to manage the program from FMI's head office in Arlington, VA, USA. It dates GFSI recognition of the SQF Codes to 2004. It lists 2026 as the release of SQF Codes Edition 10. The page also states that the family of codes is "comprised of 13 industry-specific codes."

The Edition 9 Food Manufacturing code states: "The SQF Program was first developed in Australia in 1995 and has been owned and managed by FMI, The Food Industry Association, since 2003. In 2004, GFSI first recognized our standard as one that meets its benchmark requirements." The code states that SQFI is a division of FMI, established to administer the SQF Program. The 1994 date and the 1995 date are the two documents' dates.

SQFI's glossary defines SQFI as "The SQF Institute, a division of FMI." It defines certification as "A process by which a licensed SQF certification body confirms compliance of a site's SQF Food Safety and/or Quality System to the SQF Food Safety and/or Quality Code, as appropriate, following a certification audit or re-certification audit." It defines a certification body as an entity that has entered into a license agreement with SQFI authorizing it to certify a site's SQF System in accordance with ISO/IEC 17065:2012 (or a subsequent version) and the Criteria for SQF Certification Bodies.

The Edition 9 Food Manufacturing code states that certification bodies are licensed by SQFI to conduct SQF audits and issue SQF certificates, and that licensed certification bodies are accredited to ISO/IEC 17065:2012 (or subsequent versions as applicable). It states that the certification body makes the certification decision. "Although SQFI provides guidance on certification, the certification body is responsible for deciding if certification is justified and granted, based on the objective evidence provided by the SQF food safety auditor."

What GFSI recognition means

GFSI's page on certification programme owners states that the GFSI Benchmarking Requirements were first created in 2001 by a group of retailers motivated by the necessity of harmonising food safety standards across the global supply chain. The same page states: "They do not constitute a food safety standard in their own right, nor can food businesses be audited or certified against them. For these roles, we rely on our recognised CPOs."

GFSI's announcement of December 9, 2021 states that SQF Edition 9 "has successfully achieved recognition against GFSI's Benchmarking Requirements Version 2020." The announcement describes GFSI as The Consumer Goods Forum's Coalition of Action on food safety. It describes benchmarking as a procedure by which a food safety Certification Program Owner is compared to the GFSI Benchmarking Requirements. It states that a program is "recognised" by GFSI when it has been verified that it meets every single GFSI benchmarking requirement, both in procedures and in operations. The announcement's description of SQFI states that the SQF (Safe Quality Food) Institute is a division of FMI and was established to administer the SQF Program.

GFSI's certification-programme page lists "SQF food safety codes edition 9 (level 2)" among the programmes it presents under recognition against Version 2020 of the Benchmarking Requirements. The Edition 9 code's own table of codes does not use the words "level 2" in that table. Its legend states: "*Denotes SQF Food Safety Codes that are GFSI benchmarked."

The Edition 9 code states that SQFI updated the code from Edition 8.1 to Edition 9 in part to "Meet updated GFSI requirements for implementation beyond 2020."

SQFI's which-edition page states: "The date audits are to start with the Edition 10 SQF Food Safety and Quality Codes is expected to be January 2, 2027. Audits scheduled on or after this date will be to Edition 10. This date is contingent upon the GFSI benchmarking application process." It states that an audit before that date is audited to Edition 9, and that certification bodies will not mix requirements from both editions in a single audit. The GFSI announcement and certification-programme page cited above name Edition 9.

The codes, at a high level

The Edition 9 Food Manufacturing code states that SQFI publishes a suite of food safety and quality codes covering the supply chain from primary production through retail and foodservice, and that the standards are available free of charge at www.sqfi.com. The code's table in Part A groups that suite.

Food Safety Fundamentals. The code's glossary in that document defines Food Safety Fundamentals as "An entry level Code for new and developing businesses" covering basic Good Agricultural or Aquaculture Practices, Good Manufacturing Practices, or Good Distribution Practices. The table lists SQF Fundamentals for Primary Production, Basic and Intermediate, and SQF Fundamentals for Manufacturing, Basic and Intermediate.

SQFI's Fundamentals page states that Fundamentals has codes for the manufacturing and primary production sectors, with basic and intermediate levels for both. It states that the Basic codes focus on implementation of the code requirements and less on documentation, and that the Intermediate codes still focus on implementation and add an introduction to documentation. It states: "The technical requirements in all the Fundamental Codes meet the requirements in the GFSI Global Markets Program." It states that the Fundamentals codes "provide a seamless transition to our Food Safety Program, which is benchmarked to the GFSI requirements." It states that only licensed SQF certification bodies issue a certificate against the Fundamentals code. It states: "No score is issued upon completion of the certification or certification audit; there is an option for scoring to meet the retailer's requirement." It states: "There is no unannounced audit requirement in this program."

HACCP-based Food Safety Codes. The Edition 9 table's legend states that an asterisk denotes SQF Food Safety Codes that are GFSI benchmarked. The table text shows that asterisk on Primary Animal Production, Primary Plant Production, Food Manufacturing, Animal Product Manufacturing, Dietary Supplements Manufacturing, Pet Food Manufacturing, Animal Feed Manufacturing, Manufacture of Food Packaging, and Storage and Distribution. The same table also lists Aquaculture, Food Retail, and Foodservice.

The Food Manufacturing code "sets out the implementation, maintenance, and technical requirements for sites involved in the manufacture, processing, packaging, storage, and transport of all types of plant-based products, mixed animal and plant-based products, and ambient stable products." Part B is the auditable standard: module 2, the system elements, and module 11, Good Manufacturing Practices for Processing of Food Products. The module 2 headings in the code are Management Commitment; Document Control and Records; Specifications, Formulations, Realization, and Supplier Approval; Food Safety System; SQF System Verification; Product Traceability and Crisis Management; Food Defense and Food Fraud; Allergen Management; and Training.

The code's food-sector table places these categories under Food Manufacturing, each with module 11: dairy food processing; honey processing; egg processing; bakery and snack food processing; fruit, vegetable, and nut processing, and fruit juices; canning, UHT, and aseptic operations; ice, drink, and beverage processing; confectionery manufacturing; preserved foods manufacturing; food ingredient manufacturing; recipe meals manufacturing; oils, fats, and the manufacturing of oil or fat-based spreads; processing of cereal grains; repackaging of products not manufactured on site; and food processing aids manufacturing. Dietary supplements are a different row: the SQF Food Safety Code: Dietary Supplements Manufacturing, food sector category 31. Storage and distribution is the SQF Food Safety Code: Storage and Distribution.

Quality. The Edition 9 table lists the SQF Quality Code under HACCP-based Food Quality and states that it applies to GFSI-recognized and equivalent standards and to other food safety management standards, including HACCP certification and ISO 22000. SQFI's Quality Code page states: "The Quality Program is designed to monitor and control food quality-related threats and works best for sites that have already implemented a successful, robust food safety plan. This program can be implemented in tandem with an existing food safety plan or as a stand-alone audit."

Edition 10. SQFI's what-is page lists 2026 as the release of Edition 10. SQFI's home page names these Edition 10 codes: Primary Plant Production, Primary Animal Production, Aquaculture, Food Manufacturing, Pet Food Manufacturing, Animal Feed Manufacturing, Animal Product Manufacturing, Dietary Supplement Manufacturing, Storage and Distribution, Manufacture of Food Sector Packaging, and the Quality Code. The which-edition page states which edition an audit uses, and it states that the January 2, 2027 date is contingent on the GFSI benchmarking application process. The what-is page's count of 13 industry-specific codes and the home page's Edition 10 list are the two pages' wordings.

What a Food Manufacturing audit involves

The audit description in this section is from the SQF Food Safety Code: Food Manufacturing, Edition 9, except where another page is named. The Fundamentals page states that a Fundamentals certification audit does not issue a score and has no unannounced-audit requirement. Ask which code the certificate names before applying the Food Manufacturing rules to another code.

The code defines the initial certification audit as an assessment by a qualified and registered SQF food safety auditor, or audit team, to ensure that the site's documentation complies with the SQF Code and that food safety, hygiene, and management activities are carried out according to the documented policies, procedures, and specifications. The glossary defines an SQF audit as a systematic and independent examination of the site's system against the applicable SQF code, and states that the audit can be conducted in part using remote information and communication technology.

The certification body selects the auditor. The auditor is employed by or contracted to the certification body and registered with SQFI for the same food sector categories as the site's scope. The certification body must ensure that no SQF food safety auditor conducts audits of the same site for more than three consecutive certification cycles. An auditor cannot audit a site where the auditor has participated in a consulting role, or has a conflict of interest with anyone at the site, within the last two years. The site can refuse an auditor and must outline the reasons in writing to the certification body.

Part of the initial audit may be conducted remotely, and at least half of the allocated audit duration must be on site. Remote activities require agreement with the certification body. The code states that remote activities do not apply to unannounced audits. The on-site component is conducted when the main processes are operating. Once the audit scope is agreed, it cannot be changed after the audit has started.

The code states that the minimum duration for a certification or re-certification audit is two days, including remote and on-site activities. The certification body calculates the duration from the size of the facility, the number of employees, the complexity of the processes, and the food safety risk, and documents the justification. The code tells the site to confirm the fees for the audit, including report-writing time, with the certification body. It states that there is a registration fee for each site, payable at registration and annual renewal, and that the fee scale is available at sqfi.com. It states that the agreement with the certification body includes, at a minimum, the certification body's fees structure, including audit costs, travel time and expenses, report writing, ancillary costs, and costs for close-out of non-conformances. This note does not state a dollar amount.

The code grades non-conformances against this code as minor, major, or critical. A minor non-conformance is "evidence of a random or infrequent failure to maintain compliance with a requirement" that does not indicate a breakdown in the food safety management system or that food safety is compromised. A major non-conformance is a failure of a system element, a systemic breakdown, a serious deviation, or an absence of evidence of compliance, and "is evidence of a food safety risk to products included in the scope of certification." A critical non-conformance is a breakdown of control at a critical control point, a prerequisite program, or other process step "judged likely to cause a significant public health risk and/or product contamination," and is also raised for systemic falsification of records relating to food safety controls and the SQF System. A critical non-conformance at an initial certification audit "results in an automatic failure of the audit."

Section 9.2 scores each applicable clause: 0 if the aspect meets the criteria, 1 for a minor non-conformance, 5 for a major non-conformance, and 50 for a critical non-conformance. "A single rating is calculated for your site audit as (100 – N) where N is the sum of the individual rating criteria allocated." The code's table is:

  • 96–100, E – Excellent: certificate issued; 12 monthly re-certification audit.
  • 86–95, G – Good: certificate issued; 12 monthly re-certification audit.
  • 70–85, C – Complies: certificate issued; 6 monthly surveillance audit.
  • 0–69, F – Fails to comply: no certificate issued; considered to have failed the SQF audit.

Those bands are the Edition 9 Food Manufacturing table. SQFI's which-edition page states that Edition 9 deducts 1 point for a minor non-conformance, 5 for a major, and 50 for a critical, and that the score is 100 minus total deductions. It states that Edition 10 retains the 100-minus-deduction model and adds core-clause deductions: a core-clause minor is 2 points and a core-clause major is 7 points, with a critical still 50 points. It lists core clauses as unique to each code and names, as examples, management commitment, the approved supplier program, the food safety plan, environmental monitoring, corrective and preventative action, product identification, allergen management, sanitation, and foreign material control.

Evidence of corrective action is sent to the auditor for verification and close-out within thirty calendar days of the completion of the site audit. The code requires a documented root-cause analysis as part of the corrective-action evidence for every minor non-conformance and every major non-conformance. If corrective actions are not submitted, or the auditor does not verify them within thirty days, the certification body is unable to certify the site.

Certification is awarded to a site that achieves a "C – complies" rating or greater with no outstanding non-conformances. The certification body makes the decision no more than forty-five calendar days from the last day of the site audit. Within ten calendar days of granting certification, the certification body provides the certificate. "The certificate is valid for seventy five (75) days beyond the anniversary of the initial certification audit date." The certificate must include the phrase that the site "is registered as meeting the requirements of the SQF Food Safety Code: Food Manufacturing, Edition 9," and the scope of registration, meaning the food sector categories and products. The code states that certified site information is posted on sqfi.com. The final audit report is the property of the site and cannot be distributed to other parties without the site's permission.

The re-certification audit is conducted within thirty calendar days either side of the anniversary of the last day of the initial certification audit. The glossary defines the certification cycle as "The annual period between a site's certification/re-certification audits." A surveillance audit is conducted if the site attains a "C – complies" rating. It is a full SQF System audit, conducted within thirty calendar days either side of the six-month anniversary of the last day of the last certification or re-certification audit. A new score and rating are issued. The re-certification date is not affected.

The certification body is required to conduct an unannounced audit of the site once every three years. Within the first three years of certification, the site has one unannounced audit, and thereafter an unannounced audit every three years. The unannounced audit is on site, inside the sixty-day re-certification window. If the site refuses entry to an SQF food safety auditor for an unannounced audit, the certification body is required to immediately suspend the certificate. A site may elect annual unannounced re-certification audits. The code states that those sites "are recognized on the SQF certificate as an 'SQFI Select Site.'"

The code states that SQF certification is product specific. The products included in the system are audited, and they are listed on the certificate unless the certification body approves an exemption requested in writing before the audit. The code requires every certified site to have a suitably qualified SQF practitioner to oversee development, implementation, review, and maintenance of the SQF System, including the system elements, Good Manufacturing Practices, and food safety plans. It states that SQF practitioners are required to successfully complete HACCP training that is a minimum of two days and is assessed. It states that the "Implementing SQF Systems" training course is not mandatory and is strongly recommended.

The code's disclaimer states: "Certification of a site's SQF System by a Safe Quality Food Institute licensed certifying body does not guarantee a site's product safety or constant adherence to all food safety regulations."

SQF beside FDA cGMP and FSMA

21 CFR Part 117 is titled "Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis, and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human Food." What cGMP is covers how that FDA rule applies to human food and to dietary supplements. Module 11 of the Edition 9 Food Manufacturing code is titled "Good Manufacturing Practices for Processing of Food Products." Module 11 is a part of the SQF code. Part 117 is the FDA regulation.

The Edition 9 code states that a site's achievement of SQF food safety certification indicates a commitment to produce safe, quality food, to comply with the requirements of the SQF Code, and to comply with applicable food legislation. The same code's disclaimer, quoted above, states that certification does not guarantee constant adherence to all food safety regulations.

FDA's page on the concluded pilot states that FDA assessed selected private third-party food safety standards for alignment with the Preventive Controls for Human Food rule or the Produce Safety rule. It states that the specific elements of the third-party standards and the FSMA regulations may not be identical, and that a finding of alignment indicates that the relevant technical components of the applicable rule have been addressed. The table's row for this program is "SQF Food Safety Code: Food Manufacturing, Edition 9 plus the SQF Addendum for the Preventive Controls for Human Food," scoped to Preventive Controls for Human Food. The page states: "Third-party audits under these food safety audit standards and applicable addenda are not a substitute for FDA or state regulatory inspections for compliance with FDA regulations, including the Preventive Controls for Human Food Rule or the Produce Safety Rule." It states that FDA's statements apply only to the specified audit standards and addenda in the table. It states that the review and the findings "do not constitute an endorsement of any one food safety audit standard, or audits conducted under such standards." The reviews "focused on assessing third-party food safety standards and not the overall quality of the audit programs or qualifications of auditors."

FDA's page on third-party audits and FSMA states that an onsite audit is one option for supplier verification under the Foreign Supplier Verification Program and the preventive controls rules. It states that an annual onsite audit is the default supplier-verification activity when there is a reasonable probability that exposure to a hazard requiring control will result in serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals. It states that these onsite audits do not have to be conducted by auditors accredited under FDA's third-party certification program. It states two requirements: a qualified auditor, including that the auditor must not have a financial conflict of interest that influences the verification, and that the audits consider applicable FDA food safety standards, such as the preventive controls rules and the produce rule. This note does not decide whether a particular SQF audit meets those requirements.

What to ask a co-packer

NXTCPG's published Source & produce work is ingredient sourcing, co-manufacturer selection, and quality and scale readiness. The site does not state an SQF certificate, an SQF practitioner, or an audit run by NXTCPG. Who manufactures, who packs, who owns the formula, and what a pilot must show are in how to choose a co-packer. The smallest amount a supplier will run is in MOQ meaning. The federal manufacturing-practice rule is in what cGMP is.

  • Which code and which edition does the certificate name? The Edition 9 Food Manufacturing code requires the certificate to state that the site is registered as meeting that code, Edition 9, and to list the food sector categories and products.
  • Is the named code one the Edition 9 table marks with an asterisk, a Fundamentals certificate, or the Quality Code? The Fundamentals page and section 9.2 of the Food Manufacturing code describe different scoring and unannounced-audit rules.
  • Does the scope list this SKU and this process? The code states that certification is product specific. Dietary supplements and storage and distribution are separate codes in that table.
  • If the next audit falls on or after the date on SQFI's which-edition page, which edition will the certification body use? That page states that the expected Edition 10 date is contingent on the GFSI benchmarking application process, and that one audit does not mix editions.
  • What is the certification body's name, and does sqfi.com post the site? The code states that certified site information is posted on sqfi.com, and that the certificate is invalid until the site is registered on the SQFI assessment database if registration lapses.
  • What rating did the last audit receive, and does a surveillance audit apply? On the Edition 9 Food Manufacturing table, a C rating carries a six-monthly surveillance audit.
  • Was the last re-certification audit unannounced? Does the certificate say SQFI Select Site? The code uses that phrase for a site that has elected annual unannounced re-certification audits.
  • Who is the SQF practitioner, and what HACCP training does the code require for this code?
  • If the plant describes the audit as covering FDA preventive controls, was the SQF Addendum for the Preventive Controls for Human Food part of the audit FDA named in the pilot table? FDA states that audits under the listed standards and addenda are not a substitute for an FDA or state inspection, and that the finding is not an endorsement.
  • May the brand see the audit report and the certificate? The code states that the report is the property of the site. The agreement's fee structure, including audit costs, is a document the code says the agreement includes. The registration fee scale is the one SQFI publishes at sqfi.com. This note does not state a price.

Get the certificate, the code name, and the scope from the plant that will run the SKU. A certificate for another code, another product, or another site is a result for that other scope.

Where this sits with NXTCPG

Choosing the plant sits in Source & produce. If the open question is which co-packer can run the SKU, and which certificate, code, and FDA rule apply to that plant and that product, start a project. For equipment, minimums, who buys the ingredients, and who owns the formula, use how to choose a co-packer. For the FDA manufacturing-practice rule, use what cGMP is. For how a supplier states a minimum, use MOQ meaning.

Sources

FAQ

What does SQF stand for?

Safe Quality Food. SQFI's what-is page places that expansion inside the name The SQF (Safe Quality Food) Institute, and it identifies the Institute as a division of FMI—The Food Industry Association established to administer the SQF Program.

Who issues an SQF certificate?

A certification body licensed by the SQF Institute. The Edition 9 Food Manufacturing code states that those bodies conduct SQF audits and issue the certificates, and that the certification body decides whether certification is granted. SQFI's glossary defines certification as that confirmation after a certification audit or a re-certification audit.

Is SQF certification the same requirement as FDA cGMP?

FDA's concluded-pilot page states that third-party audits under the standards and addenda in its table, including SQF Food Safety Code: Food Manufacturing, Edition 9 plus the SQF Addendum for the Preventive Controls for Human Food, are not a substitute for FDA or state inspections. The same page states that the review is not an endorsement of a standard or of audits under it. The Edition 9 code states that certification by a licensed certifying body does not guarantee product safety or constant adherence to all food safety regulations. 21 CFR Part 117 is the FDA rule, covered in the cGMP note.

What SQF codes and levels does SQFI publish?

The Edition 9 Food Manufacturing code's table lists Food Safety Fundamentals, basic and intermediate, for primary production and for manufacturing; HACCP-based Food Safety Codes; and a Quality Code. Its legend states that an asterisk denotes SQF Food Safety Codes that are GFSI benchmarked. SQFI's Fundamentals page states that a Fundamentals certification audit does not issue a score and that the program has no unannounced-audit requirement. GFSI's December 9, 2021 announcement states that SQF Edition 9 achieved recognition against the GFSI Benchmarking Requirements Version 2020.

What should a brand ask a co-packer about SQF?

Ask which code and edition the certificate names, which food sector categories and products are in the scope, which certification body issued it, what rating the last audit received, and the expiry date. The Edition 9 Food Manufacturing code states that certification is product specific. Ask whether the certificate is Fundamentals, a food-safety code, or the Quality Code, because those programs describe different audit rules. Ask whether you may see the audit report. The code states that the report is the property of the site. These are questions for the plant, not a finding that the plant meets an FDA rule.