At the SQF Unites event last week, SQF Edition 10—which introduces significant updates aimed at strengthening food safety compliance—was a leading topic. As the Safe Quality Food Institute (SQFI) works with industry members to implement these changes, businesses must understand the key updates and how they impact certification requirements.
This blog breaks down the most important changes in SQF Edition 10 and provides guidance on how to ensure your food safety program meets the new standards.
The need for a new edition of the Safe Quality Food (SQF) standard is driven by industry changes, regulatory updates, scientific advancements, and stakeholder feedback. Common factors influencing these updates include:
SQFI collaborates with industry stakeholders and experts through consultations and public reviews before finalizing and releasing a new edition of the standard.
SQF Code Edition 10 aims to strengthen food safety compliance with updates focusing on food safety culture, change management, records and documentation, personnel training, and audit preparedness.
The Food Industry Association (FMI) has previewed the updates in SQF Code Edition 10 and encourages SQF members to submit public comments via the SQF website. Key enhancements include:
A new Food Safety Culture Plan requires organizations to establish clear objectives and performance measures, reinforcing a top-down commitment to food safety.
A dedicated Change Management clause in SQF 10 requires companies to document procedures for equipment, processes, or personnel changes to better manage risk.
Documentation requirements have been reorganized into a single structured section, simplifying compliance and improving auditor efficiency.
Enhanced training and competency assessments ensure personnel at all levels are fully equipped to maintain food safety standards.
One of the most notable updates in SQF Edition 10 is the re-introduction of the SQF pre-audit, helping sites better prepare for certification by completing required internal audits.
Many compliance programs are still paper-based, resulting in slowness, non-conformances, and lack of preparedness for SQF certification. With SQF Edition 10 requiring more structured compliance measures, it is essential to leverage a food safety management system that eliminates paper-based inefficiencies and supports always-on compliance.
Food safety management systems allow companies to swap paper-based routines for digitized SOPs, records and documents, checklists, and internal audits designed for always-on SQF compliance. These systems often provide additional functionality for product quality management, product recalls, and partner management.
SQF practitioners can improve their SQF Edition 10 certification readiness per the updated code requirements by implementing compliance software solutions with the following capabilities:
SQF Edition 10 reintroduces the SQF pre-audit, making internal audits more critical than ever. Auditing software should help practitioners easily create and automate any audit, expedite end-to-end data collection and findings, leverage corrective and preventative actions, and conduct audits online or offline through web and mobile optimizations.
With SQF Edition 10 placing a greater emphasis on structured compliance and documentation, organizations must ensure policies and SOPs for their change management clause and procedures for equipment, processes, and personnel changes are properly managed and accessible. The right policy management solution not only digitizes all policies and procedures, but ensures personnel at all levels are fully equipped to maintain food safety standards with on-demand instructions, training resources, and feedback mechanisms.
Automating document collection, tracking, storage, and renewal helps organizations meet SQF 10 requirements for record keeping and auditor efficiency while ensuring seamless audit readiness. An automated solution ensures compliance, simplifies version control, improves accessibility, and eliminates the risks associated with manual record-keeping.
Other factors to consider when evaluating software solutions:
Now is the time to start preparing for SQF Edition 10 by evaluating your compliance readiness and implementing the right solutions for a proactive internal audit program. A robust internal audit program should include policy and SOP management, document management, and internal audit automation to ensure long-term compliance and readiness for future SQF editions.
Discover how CMX1 can simplify and enhance your SQF certification readiness. Schedule a demo today and take the next step toward seamless, always-on SQF compliance.