SQF Meets Standards through FDA Pilot Program

ARLINGTON, VA – FMI – The Food Industry Association today announces that its food safety management program, Safe Quality Food (SQF), successfully completed a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) pilot program and that the SQF Food Safety Code: Food Manufacturing, Edition 9 plus the SQF Addendum for the Preventive Controls for Human Food Rule are in alignment with the Preventive Controls for Human Foods Rule, one of the key rules under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

“As the food industry association, FMI strives to bring all aspects of the food industry together, and this recognition by FDA will make SQF an even more essential part of the fabric of the food industry,” said Leslie G. Sarasin, president and CEO of FMI. “For decades, we have upheld the SQF food safety program within the manufacturing sector, and we expanded our reach across other segments within the supply chain in recent years, including produce operations, storage and distribution centers, food packaging manufacturers, and foodservice and retail operations.”

Throughout the pilot, SQF demonstrated how its process relates to more than 500 aspects of the Preventive Controls for Human Food Rule. This recognition should give buyers confidence that SQF audits – the SQF Food Safety Code: Food Manufacturing, Edition 9, plus the SQF Addendum for the Preventive Controls for Human Food Rule – generally address FDA’s food safety requirements.

The SQF network includes more than 13,000 certified sites in more than 40 countries. Foreign facilities producing food for consumption in the U.S. are required to produce food in a manner that provides the same level of public health protection as the Preventive Controls for Human Food Rule. Importers should similarly have confidence that SQF audits conducted in accordance with the FDA’s pilot program are a useful tool in determining whether foreign suppliers meet applicable FDA food safety requirements.

“Food facilities with SQF certification have the highest level of food safety management systems,” Sarasin said. “With FDA’s recognition today, firms purchasing from SQF-certified facilities should have more assurances that their food safety programs are consistent with FDA regulations under the Preventive Controls for Human Foods Rule.