Published 31 Jan 2023
What is SQF?
The Safe Quality Food (SQF) Program is a food safety standard that aims to maintain the quality and safety of food products by following a HACCP-based food safety system. It is recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), a global organization that sets food safety standards accepted by large institutions in the food industry.
SQF - HACCP Template
This HACCP plan template is used to conduct hazard analysis, define critical limits, and determine critical control points in food production. Use this template to identify biological, chemical, and physical hazards in the production of raw materials, handling or preparation, and distribution and consumption of finished products. Maximize this template by:
- Defining the step/process in food production
- Taking photos of the process
- Identifying potential hazards, likelihood of occurrence, its CCP (if any) and providing preventive measure
- Determining CCP and establishing its critical limits and monitoring procedures
- Conclude inspections with recommendations and generate detailed reports on-the-spot. Learn how to implement a HACCP Plan in this article.
In this article
- What is Safe Quality Food Audit?
- Seven Steps to Prepare for SQF Certification
- Technological Solution to the Challenges of SQF Certification
- Download Free & Customizable SQF Audit Checklists
What is Safe Quality Food Audit?
SQF audit is a systematic assessment of food safety processes for food manufacturing industries. This process helps evaluate if suppliers and other businesses in the food supply chain comply with SQF standards which then aims for SQF certification to gain partnership with major institutions in the food industry.
Seven Steps to Prepare for SQF Certification
- Have a designated SQF Practitioner read and understand the latest SQF Code appropriate to your segment in the food supply chain.
- Register to the SQF database.
- Develop and establish a HACCP-based food safety plan to mitigate food safety and quality hazards.
- Establish food safety monitoring through routine audits and maintain a record of results.
- Define your organization’s competencies and determine training requirements for SQF certification based on the audit results.
- Ensure competency needs are met and that all parties involved are kept in the loop.
- Partner with a third-party auditor for SQF certification.
Technological Solution to the Challenges of SQF Certification
The SQF Practitioner is tasked to ensure that a HACCP-based food safety system is being followed and documented as required by the SQF standard. Maintaining an effective, sustainable, and documented food safety system that aligns with the SQF standard, however, can be challenging for businesses that rely on paper-based documentation. Overcome the challenges with SafetyCulture (formerly iAuditor), the world’s most powerful auditing app. With the SafetyCulture mobile app and software, the SQF Practitioner can do the following:
- Create mobile-ready templates for food safety and quality
- Empower teams to proactively conduct better monitoring procedures and hazard analysis using a smartphone or tablet
- Attach photos and annotations within the app
- Save time by generating comprehensive reports as internal quality officers finish audits.
- Secure all reports online. Preview a sample web and PDF report.
- Use for free with small teams. Unlimited reports and storage for premium accounts.
Get started with this collection of free downloadable and customizable SQF templates to maintain food safety and quality and achieve SQF certification.
Download Free & Customizable SQF Audit Checklists
SQF Audit Checklist - Primary Production
An SQF audit checklist is a tool used to assess compliance with the SQF standard and determine gaps in the established HACCP-based food safety system. SQF Practitioners can use the scoring system of this digitized template to measure readiness for third-party SQF audit of the business in food manufacturing’s primary production.
SQF Audit Checklist - Food Manufacturing
This SQF audit checklist for food manufacturing can be used to determine if processes are aligned with the SQF standard for food manufacturing. Based on the SQF checklist for intermediate level for manufacturing, SQF Practitioners can use the scoring system of this digitized template to measure readiness for third-party SQF audit.
