Safe Quality Food for manufacturing, storage distribution & primary production
In today's global marketplace, consumers want assurances that the food they buy is safe, no matter where it was grown, raised or processed.
Retail and foodservice buyers also favor suppliers who have implemented and certified food safety and quality management systems, which focus on
prevention and risk analysis, and provide a higher degree of assurance that a supplier will maintain their commitment to food safety and quality every day.
The SQF Program (Safe, Quality Food) is one of the world's leading
food safety and quality management systems, designed to meet the needs of retailers and suppliers worldwide. The Program provides independent certification that a supplier's food safety and quality management system complies with international and domestic food safety regulations. This enables suppliers to assure their customers that food has been produced, processed, prepared and handled according to the highest possible standards, at all levels of the supply chain.
SQF is designed as a food safety program, but it also covers product quality, assuring consistent quality and meeting buyer specifications.
The SQF Program is administered by the SQF Institute (SQFI), a division of the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), and is the result of more than 15 years of development.
SQF certification is supported and in many cases mandated by an increasing number of international retailers and foodservice providers, and the SQF Program is part of a landmark agreement among seven global retailers on mutual acceptance of global food safety systems.
Why choose SQF?
- The SQF 2000 Code and Guidance documents for general food processing and specific food industry sectors.
- Three levels of certification.
- A third-party audit and annual certification that verifies the supplier is adhering to SQF's rigorous requirements.
- Optional modules for responsible environmental, social and food defense practices.
- SQF is a certification program endorsed by the Global Food Safe Initiative (GFSI).
- The program involves a rigorous registration process for auditors.
- Suppliers seeking SQF certification must appoint an SQF Practitioner to maintain and manage their system.
- The Program provides additional tools such as guidance documents, self-assessments, audit checklists and voluntary modules to promote continual improvement of a supplier's SQF system
About GFSI
The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), co-ordinated by CIES - The Food Business Forum, was launched in May 2000. The GFSI Foundation Board, a retailer-driven group, with manufacturer advisory members, provides the strategic direction and oversees the daily management.
Under the umbrella of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), 7 major retailers have come to a common acceptance of four GFSI benchmarked food safety schemes.
The benchmarking work undertaken by the standard owners and other key stakeholders on four food safety schemes (BRC, IFS, Dutch HACCP and SQF) has now reached a point of convergence. Each scheme has now aligned itself with common criteria defined by food safety experts from the food business, with the objective of making food manufacture as safe as possible. As a result, this will also drive cost efficiency in the supply chain and reduce the duplication of audits.
For more information about GFSI, please visit: http://www.ciesnet.com.
Contact QMI - SAI Global
Whether you are looking for certification against SQF 2000, assessment to your own goals and commitments, supplier assessment, or training, SAI Global has a solution.
Tell us your needs, and we'll contact you to discuss.
Join QMI – SAI Global for industry-leading training