What must the site provide for mock recall records?

The auditor is expected to check the records the site has compiled during the annual test of the recall program.

Evidence may include:

• A recall committee is established and all members understand their roles and responsibility;
• The methods and responsibilities for notifying customers, SQFI, the certification body, regulators and other essential bodies are identified;
• The recall/withdrawal system has been tested annually;
• The recall/withdrawal system meets regulatory and customer requirements;
• Communication has been tested during an actual or test recall;
• Investigations into the root cause of actual recalls/withdrawals have been conducted;
• Corrective actions have been taken on identified deficiencies in the recall/withdrawal (refer 2.5.5)

Is the site required to notify their certification body of USDA issued Noncompliance Records (NRs)?

No. As outlined in Part A, 5.3 of the SQF Code, the certification body is to be notified only for recall events requiring public notification, such as Class l or Class ll recall or the receipt of a regulatory warning letter.

Who is the site required to contact and list as a contact in the event of a recall?
As outlined in Part A, 5.3 of the SQF Code, upon identification of a food safety event that requires public notification (such as Class I or Class II recall, or the receipt of a regulatory warning letter), SQF certified supplier shall notify the certification body and the SQFI in writing at foodsafetycrisis@sqfi.com within twenty-four (24) hours of the event.

What are the requirements to be an SQF practitioner? Are individuals required to register or certify as a practitioner?

The education and knowledge requirements of an SQF practitioner are outlined in SQF Code. They are as follows:

The SQF practitioner shall:

1. Be employed by the supplier as a company employee on a full-time basis;
2. Hold a position of responsibility in relation to the management of the supplier’s SQF System;
3. Have completed a HACCP training course;
   Be competent to implement and maintain HACCP based food safety plans; and
4. Have an understanding of the SQF Code their level of certification and the requirements to implement and maintain SQF Systems relevant to the supplier scope of certification.

As noted, there are no specific requirements for training (other than HACCP) or testing. The practitioner must demonstrate knowledge of the current version of the SQF Code. Some choose to do this by either successfully completing an Implementing SQF Systems training course, or by successfully completing an Implementing SQF Systems examination. Additionally, the practitioner may adequately demonstrate knowledge of the Code by having an effectively-implemented SQF System or appropriately address questions posed by the auditor at the time of the certification audit.

Note that there is no requirement to register or “certify” as a practitioner. A person in the role of a practitioner must meet the requirements of 2.1.2.4 and 2.1.2.5 of the SQF Code. Therefore there is no need to “re-register” or “recertify,” nor is there a need to retake either the Implementing SQF Systems course or the Implementing SQF System examination if already successfully completed.

Section 2.5.4 of the SQF Code requires outside laboratories to be accredited to ISO 17025 or equivalent. What is equivalent and how is that determined?

ISO 17025 is the international standard for laboratory accreditation. It is a GFSI requirement that external analysis of inputs is performed by laboratories that are accredited to this international standard. However, some countries do not recognize ISO 17025, and have national laboratory accreditation standards in place.
Equivalence therefore applies to national standards that are used in-country, instead of ISO 17025.

What are the qualifications of an SQF auditor?

Please refer to the Criteria for SQF Auditors and Technical Reviewers for a full description and outline of qualifications and requirements.

The criteria to register as an SQF auditor can be found via the SQF Professional tab of the SQF website.

In summary, an individual seeking to register as an SQF auditor will need to provide evidence of the following:

1. Complete a registered Management System Lead Auditor training course (i.e. Exemplar Global, IRCA approved) of 40 hours duration.
2. Complete SQF CPO  training (e.g., Auditing SQF Systems) of 3 days duration. Note: Applicant may choose take the SQF Lead Auditor training course (of 4 days duration) to meet the requirements of 1 and 2 above.
3. Successful completion of a HACCP training course with certificate issued. HACCP training must be a 2 day course with a final assessment and a certificate.
4. Have at least 160 hours of food safety and/or quality auditing in the food industry (20 audit days).
5. Have at least 5 years work experience in food safety, HACCP program management and/or quality systems management within the food industry.
   1. For each high risk Food Sector Category (FSC) requested for registration, the applicant shall demonstrate 2 years work experience in food safety and/or quality management within food industry within requested FSC, or 160 audit hours within requested FSC, or a combination of work experience and audit experience for each FSC requested.
6. Must be either employed by or contracted to an SQF licensed certification body (if contracted, then the applicant must be sponsored by at least one SQF licensed certification body).

To apply to register as an SQF auditor, the candidate will need to submit evidence to support the requirements outlined above via an online application. The online application can be accessed via the Partner tab of the SQF website, or by clicking here.
For more information on the application process, including templates for audit logs and work experience, please visit the Become an SQF Professional page of the SQF website.

When can a site change to a different certification body during the whole SQF certification process?

The requirements for changing to a new certification body can  be found under Part A, section 5.2 of the SQF Code, edition 8.

If an SQF site is certified under one certification body (CB) and would like to use a different CB, the site can change CBs after one certification cycle and cannot be under a surveillance audit schedule. The site must have closure of all outstanding non-conformities and the certification cannot be suspended or under threat of suspension or withdrawal. Sites that require a surveillance audit are permitted to change certification bodies only after the surveillance audit is conducted or by written approval from the SQFI senior technical director.
When a supplier changes certification bodies, the certificate of registration issued by the previous certification body remains valid until the expected expiration date. The certification number and re-certification date are transferred with the supplier to the new certification body.

It will be the responsibility of the certification body to review of the supplier’s certification to:

1. Confirm the certificate of registration is current, valid and relates to the SQF Systems so certified.
2. Confirm the supplier’s food sector category falls within the new certifier’s scope of accreditation.
3. Confirm any complaints received are actioned;
4. Review the supplier’s audit history (where the supplier can demonstrate such history to the satisfaction of the new certifier by way of copies of audit reports completed by any former certifier) and the impact of any outstanding non-conformities.
5. Confirm the stage of the current certification cycle.

Why are PRPs not required to be validated? Instead, they are required to be verified. Can you provide clarification as to whether PRP’s require formal validation?

The term “validation” specifically applies to control limits and requires scientific analysis to demonstrate that control limits are effective. Based on advice from our stakeholders, we reworded the requirement for pre-requisite programs to state that the PRPs be “confirmed to ensure they achieve the required result rather” than “validated.” The intent is to clarify the intent of the Code so that the effectiveness of the PRP is being met.

Section 11.3.2.2 in the SQF Code specifically identifies paper towels be provided at hand wash stations. Would hot air hand dryers or “air blades” be suitable alternatives?

The SQF Code specifically states paper towels because paper towels physically remove microorganisms from hands. Additionally, air hand dryers are not always an effective means of drying hands and in some instances can be a source of contamination. If a site desires to use air-hand dryers, the effectiveness must be verified. This means that the equipment used to dry the hands must be able to dry the hands without further contamination. For example, many times the air dryers do not completely dry the hands leading employees to dry their hands using other, unsanitary means (e.g., pants, unclean towel, etc.). Additionally, the hand dryers themselves may be unclean, including the air or other parts on the machine, or there may not be enough hand driers to adequately service all plant personnel.

Suppliers using air blades need to conduct a risk analysis to identify the risk and how the risk will be controlled through this alternative method. The auditor will require the supplier to demonstrate that the air hand dryer effectively dries the hands without further contamination and does not contaminate the product or environment.

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