Your Next Steps to SQF Quality Certification

When customers demand high quality, your site should be able to demonstrate just how you’re providing it. Achieving SQF Quality Certification enables you to show your customers your commitment to maintaining product quality.

The SQF Quality Program was created for sites going above and beyond food safety, seeking additional recognition for high quality. The SQF Quality Code uses a risk-based method designed to:

• Identify and prevent quality threats
• Address process controls to monitor product quality
• Identify deviations from control parameters
• Define necessary corrections
• Download the free checklist
  

The benefits of achieving SQF Quality Certification

• Rise above the competition: As an added level of recognition, SQF Quality Code Certification gives sites a competitive edge, demonstrating a commitment to going beyond the baseline requirements for most purchasing companies.
• Maintain customer trust: There’s a lot of hard work and commitment that goes into providing consistently high quality to your customers and those efforts should be celebrated. Sites that achieve and maintain certification to the SQF Quality Code are granted permission by their certification body to use the SQF quality shield, so your customers and stakeholders know they can trust your products. Go ahead and show off that shield!
• Reduce costs and waste: By implementing the standards of an SQF quality management system, your site can consistently have better insight and improved control over production to prevent quality-related issues, save money and reduce potential waste resulting from remediation.
• Learn more about how SQF Quality Code Certification can protect your site resources.

Sites eligible to apply for SQF Quality Certification

SQF has expanded its quality certification eligibility requirements. With the latest implementation of Code Edition 9, primary production, manufacturing, food packaging, and distribution sites no longer have to be within the SQF community to apply for SQF Quality Code Certification. If your site currently holds another GFSI-recognized food safety certification or a HACCP certification, your site now has the option to add SQF Quality.

Learn more about site certification eligibility. 

How to begin the SQF Quality Certification process

If your site is eligible to apply for SQF Quality Code certification, you can contact your current SQF-certified Certification Body (CB) to begin the process. They can help you determine what your company needs to do. When it’s time, put your best foot forward by preparing for a successful certification with the latest SQF Quality Systems Course training.

SQF Quality Code training to help you level up

With the recent implementation of Code Edition 9, we’ve updated our quality training program to ensure alignment with the new standards and help sites best prepare for the certification process. The latest online course is available now, giving you anytime-access for one month to resources that will prepare you to improve your site’s quality and stand out from your competition. 

The course includes five areas that cover the most vital topics for successfully applying and improving quality management principles: 

• Part 1: Quality Concepts
• Part 2: The SQF Quality Code
• Part 3: HACCP for Quality
• Part 4: Statistical Process Control (SPC)
• Part 5: Quality Management

What to expect from the SQF Quality Systems course:

• 4.5 hours of online, self-paced training content (access for 30 days)
• A workbook of practical activities for real-life concept application
• Certificate of completion at the conclusion of the course 
• Comprehensive knowledge for systematically improving quality at your site 

Learn more about the Quality program