What Is SQF?

Why Did FMI Purchase SQFI?

In a 2000 survey, FMI members identified food safety as the number one issue that had a dramatic impact on their daily operations. Members recognized that success would require a total management approach, which begins with the producer or manufacturer.

FMI acknowledged that incorporating a site certification program would bolster their existing food safety initiatives, including in-store operations, employee training, and consumer education. The Site Program serves as the cornerstone for ensuring food safety across the entire supply chain. The SQF Food Safety Management Program effectively coordinates adherence to buyer specifications and pre-requisite programs (such as Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), etc.), thereby providing further assurance to the integrity of the food chain. By encompassing farm-to-fork, the SQF program is a valuable tool for effectively managing food safety and quality.

SQF Certification

SQF certification provides an independent and external verification that a product, process, or service complies with international, regulatory, and other specified standard(s) and enables a food producer to give assurances that food has been produced, prepared, and handled according to the highest possible standards.

Comprised of 13 industry-specific codes, the SQF family of codes provides step by step instructions for production and manufacture sites to become SQF certified.

History of the SQF Codes

In 1995, the first edition of SQF 2000 was issued, and in the year 2000, SQF 1000 for primary producers was released. The SQF 2000 Code was endorsed by GFSI in 2004, and the SQF 1000 Code was endorsed by GFSI in 2005. In 2008, the codes were revised and resubmitted to GFSI; both codes were benchmarked. The SQF Codes are based on sound science, universally accepted CODEX Alimentarius HACCP Guidelines, and the ISO 17065, and they offer the food sector a way to manage food safety and quality simultaneously. The SQF Codes are designed to help sites achieve the necessary level of food safety certification.

Each code builds on previous editions to provide a continuous improvement certification pathway. Sites can join the pathway at a level that best suits their business and market needs or choose to progress through the different levels offered.