Consumers Goods Forum started Global Food Safety Initiative in the year 2000. The GFSI guideline document outlined elements of an internationally recognized food safety system. The concept requires HACCP plan to be a center component of a system supported by PRPs and GMPs. Verification validation and internal auditing are integral in maintaining an effective food safety system. Soon after releasing the guideline, certification bodies applied with GFSI to get their auditing schemes benchmarked against the standard.
One of the most popular GFSI certifications is SQF (Safe Quality Foods). In the US SQF took the lead in GFSI certifications and most GFSI certified companies choose SQF for their audit.
Effective April 2026 all SQF certified sites must comply with new version of the code – version 10. SQF code revisions are related to evolving GFSI guideline that gets updated every now and then with major changes happening every few years. The last big change in the SQF code happened in 2020 when the standard was updated to version 9.0. The changes went into effect in May of 2022.
With version 9.0 there were six major changes. Those included the introduction of Food Safety Culture, additional considerations in risk assessment in Crisis Management, Label Reconciliation and label review as a requirement for product release, more emphasis on adequate ventilation to prevent cross contamination and cross contact, ambient air test requirement in high – risk process and, contingency plan requirement for contaminated water.
Release of version 10 of the SQF code is coming soon. Here are highlights of some key changes coming:
- Mandate a robust Food Safety Culture Plan. In the previous version of the code, the auditors were assessing Food Safety Culture based on the overall performance of the site during the audit. Version 10 in addition to this assessment requires that there is a written plan that includes strategies for effective communication, employee training, feedback mechanism and continuous improvement of the food safety system.
- New requirement for Change Management written Procedures. SQF certified sites must now develop a management plan for all sorts of changes, from personnel and equipment modifications to changes of suppliers. This is to prevent serious incidents including product recalls.
- Environmental Monitoring Risk assessment has become mandatory. This is to ensure that EMP programs and tailored specifically to the facility as opposed to “industry best practice”. Risk based approach is aimed at minimizing potential for cross contamination with environmental pathogens.
- Aside from code changes the SQFI will be introducing new digitized code with code specific landing pages. This is to organize the content and make it user friendly.
There will likely be other smaller updates to the code including renumbering or changing wording to already existing clauses. Those changes won’t impact your SQF system the same way as major changes will. Regardless of the code changes SQF sites are required to review their system on at least annual basis and ensure the Procedures are current and properly implemented. Code update could be a good reason for SQF sites to use outside resources in conducting a complex review of their food safety system. Here at BD Food Safety Consultants LLC, we are registered SQF Consultants. This gives us the necessary expertise to help sites in reassessment of their system in a specific food sector category. Contact our team through the website at https://bdfoodsafety.com/contact-us/ or email bartdobek@bdfoodsafety.com