The Safe Quality Food Institute’s (SQFI) new code further bonds your SQF certification with Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) compliance. With audits beginning in 2021, does your team fully understand Edition 9 requirements? This blog will explore the relationship between the SQF Code, Edition 9, and HACCP and discuss the compliance requirements your site needs to meet for continued SQF certification.

HACCP

HACCP is a system that limits potential hazards in food production and its supply chain. HACCP methodology requires documented processes that adhere to internationally recognized standards of excellence. Companies rely on HACCP within and outside the US to prevent and mitigate biological, chemical, and physical hazards from production to consumption.

SQF Certification

The SQF Code is a process and product certification standard. It is a HACCP-based food safety and quality management system that utilizes the CODEX Alimentarius Commission HACCP principles and guidelines. The SQF Code is intended to support industry- or company-branded products and to offer benefits to sites and their customers. Products produced and manufactured in SQF-certified sites retain a high degree of acceptance in global markets. In order to obtain this certification, businesses must implement exhaustive food safety control systems and verifies these programs via third-party audits.

HACCP for SQF-Certified Sites

The SQF Code features an emphasis on the systematic application of HACCP for control of food safety hazards. Edition 9’s requirement for SQF-certified sites is two-fold. The first being that every site has a designated SQF Practitioner who has successfully completed a HACCP-based training course. As SQF’s official online training vendor, Alchemy offers courses designed to:

• promote an understanding of the SQF Code.
• create a knowledge base to facilitate the successful implementation of an SQF System.
• show how a HACCP-based approach manages food safety and quality hazards in an operation.

To learn more about Alchemy’s SQF certification course, click here.

The second HACCP requirement dictates each facility create and deploy a HACCP-based Food Safety Plan as part of its SQF program. A Food Safety Plan is essentially your HACCP plan – or analysis of your food product and its production process by applying HACCP methods. This means that an FSP is required to ensure the safety of your products, which is not only a great benefit to your company and employees, but also to your business partners and consumers.

HACCP for food safety involves twelve crucial steps. These include:

Alchemy Academy Resources

Now that you’re familiar with HACCP for SQF-certified sites, it’s time to ensure you’re ready for a 2021 audit. As SQF’s exclusive online training vendor, Alchemy offers a robust library of HACCP and SQF resources to keep you and your site certified and safe. Our Basic HACCP and Implementing SQF Systems training bundle is a cost-effective solution for understanding HACCP principles and applying them to your SQF certification.

Still have questions about HACCP and the SQF Code, edition 9? Join our virtual roundtable, led by certified SQF Auditor and Consultant Jeff Chilton. You’ll have a chance to ask and discuss the Edition 9 questions that matter most to your business. Learn more and register today!