Intro to Safe Quality Foods

This course is an overview of the requirements set for companies that desire to obtain their SQF certification. By the end of the class you will understand the regulatory, safety, and quality standards that must be followed as well as auditing policies and procedures for the certification body and your company. This is an internationally recognized certification that allows your company to reach a wider range of customers.

Outline:

1.     SQF auditing introduction

2.     Continuous improvement, government regulations

3.     Types of audits

4.     Accreditation: Criteria that certification bodies need to meet. Outlined by ISO

a.     Accreditation body accredits auditors by criteria ISO 17065

b.     Accredited Schemes: SQF, BRC, FSSC, GFSI

5.     Certification: The CB issues a certification to a site

a.     ISO standard SQF requires auditors to be accredited to is 17065

b.     How to get certified

6.     GFSI

a.     Gathers global stakeholders to address food safety challenges and solutions

b.     Develop the requirements that all standard owners need to include in their code

7.     Accredited third party audit

8.     What is a good auditor addressed by ISO 19011

a.     Competence

b.     Interview Skills

9.     Deviation and non-conformance:

a.     Deviation: quality vs Non-conformance: food safety

10.  Major minor and critical non-conformance

a.     Go along with the evidence that follows each evaluation of the clause that you’re evaluating

b.     Site has to provide a root cause

c.     Site has to provide a corrective action and you verify that it was implemented

11.  Documenting audit findings

12.  Report Writing

a.     Terminology

b.     Providing evidence

13.  SQF Compliance Program

a.     Monitoring

b.     SQF certs suspension and withdrawal

c.     Tracking SQF Cert. sites

14.  Food safety incident and product recall tracking

15.  Cert body monitoring and report

16.  Exemptions

17.  Initial Certification

18.  Recertification

19.  Audit entire site and also the specific element that is or is going to be  SQF certified

20.  Data Management: SQFI must be documented and implemented in full, audited without preference and bias, all mandatory must be covered, objective review of compliance, food safety number 1

a.     Management commitment: responsibility, review, complaints

b.     Food Safety Culture

c.     Food safety system overview

d.     System Verification

e.     Recalls

f.      Food Defense

g.     Allergens

h.     Training

i.      GIP: Good industry practices or GMPs of GDPs good distribution practices

j.      SQF Fundamentals program for smaller sites