SQF certification in Australia:
what it really takes
The current edition and the 2027 change, how the code is built, the gaps a HACCP site has to close, and the steps from registration to certificate.
SQF is a GFSI-recognised food safety scheme, first developed in Australia and now run by the SQF Institute. Manufacturers certify to the SQF Food Safety Code: Food Manufacturing. Edition 9 is audited today. Edition 10 was published in March 2026, with audits expected from 2 January 2027. SQFI recommends at least 90 days of records before your first audit, so plan in months.
Edition 9 now, Edition 10 from 2027
If your first audit is in 2027 or later, build your system to Edition 10.
Edition 10 published
SQFI released Edition 10 in a digital-first format. The changes that matter most for a smaller site:
- A planned, measured food safety culture program: communication, competence checks, staff feedback and tracking
- Change management as its own requirement (clause 2.3.5) for products, equipment, processes and people
- A revised scoring model that weighs system controls more heavily
- Industry summaries report a tighter rule that the SQF practitioner and backup are site employees
Edition 9 audits continue
SQFI’s guidance is to use Edition 9 if your audit falls before the Edition 10 start date. Certification bodies won’t mix the two editions in one audit.
Edition 10 audits expected to start
SQFI says this date depends on GFSI benchmarking. Confirm it with your certification body when you book.
Sources: SQFI, “Which Code Edition Should I Use?” and Edition 10 announcement (March 2026); QIMA Edition 10 summary (2026).
Fundamentals, the Food Safety Code, and modules
SQF is a family of codes. You pick the ones that match your site and your buyers.
SQF Fundamentals
An entry program with Basic and Intermediate levels for small and medium sites. SQFI is clear it is not GFSI-benchmarked. Use it to build habits if a buyer accepts it for now.
Food Safety Code
The GFSI-recognised certificate. For a food manufacturer it combines Module 2 (system elements) with Module 11 (good manufacturing practices for processing food).
Quality Code
Optional and separate. It adds quality controls on top of food safety. Most first-time sites leave it until the food safety certificate is stable.
Other sectors (primary production, storage and distribution, packaging) use different modules. Use SQFI’s code selector to confirm yours.
Moving from basic HACCP to SQF
Your HACCP plan carries forward. These are the areas most HACCP-only sites have to add or formalise.
| Area | Typical HACCP-only site | What SQF expects |
|---|---|---|
| SQF practitioner | Food safety sits with whoever has time | A named practitioner, employed by the site, HACCP-trained, with a backup |
| Management commitment | A policy on the wall | Documented responsibilities, resourcing, management review and a culture program |
| Document control | Forms in folders, several versions in use | Controlled, current procedures and records that can be retrieved on request |
| Prerequisite programs | Cleaning and pest control, loosely recorded | Written GMP programs under Module 11, each with monitoring and verification records |
| Supplier approval | Known suppliers, certificates somewhere in email | An approved supplier program with risk-based approval, specs and current certificates |
| Environmental monitoring | Swabbing only after a problem | A risk-based program with set sites, frequencies and actions on results |
| Food defence and fraud | Not covered | Written vulnerability assessments with controls where needed |
| Recall readiness | A recall procedure never tested | A tested recall and withdrawal system, with records of the test |
| Internal audits | None, or ad hoc | Scheduled audits of the whole system, with findings closed out |
Summary only. The code itself sets the exact clause wording. See also HACCP and prerequisite programs.
How to get SQF certified
SQFI’s own sequence, in plain English.
Register your site
Create your site in the SQF Assessment Database. SQFI charges a published registration fee, listed on its website.
Appoint your SQF practitioner
Name the practitioner and a backup. Book their HACCP and SQF training early.
Set scope and run a gap analysis
Decide which products, lines and modules are in scope. Compare your current system against the code, clause by clause.
Document and implement
Write what’s missing, train staff, then run it. SQFI recommends at least 90 days of records before your audit.
Internal audit and pre-assessment
Audit yourself against the code. An optional pre-assessment by a consultant or your certifier finds gaps before they count.
Initial certification audit
A licensed certification body reviews your documents and audits the site. Under Edition 9, at least half of the audit time must be on-site.
Close findings, receive your certificate
Close non-conformities with evidence within the time the code sets. The certification body then decides on your certificate. Edition 9 rates each audit out of 100:
- E, Excellent: 96–100
- G, Good: 86–95
- C, Complies: 70–85
- F, Fails to comply: 0–69
Recertify
Under Edition 9, recertification falls within 30 days either side of your audit anniversary. One audit in every three years is unannounced.
Edition 10 changes how points are deducted, so check the new rating rules with your certifier. Source: SQF Food Safety Code: Food Manufacturing, Edition 9.
What SQF certification costs you
We don’t publish a dollar figure. Audit days depend on your scope, so get written quotes from two or three certification bodies.
Fees you pay out
- SQFI site registration
- Certification body audit days and travel
- Practitioner and staff training
- Consultant or pre-assessment, if used
Work on site
- Fixes to layout, surfaces or equipment
- Lab testing for environmental monitoring
- Calibration of thermometers and scales
Your team’s time
- Writing and reviewing procedures
- Keeping records every shift
- Internal audits and management review
- Annual recertification prep
Is SQF the right scheme for you?
SQF, BRCGS and FSSC 22000 are all GFSI-recognised and sit at the same level. None is a step above the others. The best choice is usually the one your customers will accept.
SQF fits well if
- Your buyers or export customers name SQF
- You want an entry step first (Fundamentals)
- You like a code split into sector modules
- You want a scored result to track year on year
Look elsewhere if
- Your key buyers name BRCGS: see BRCGS certification
- You already run ISO 9001: see FSSC 22000
- A retailer’s own standard is enough for your current customers
Selling to Coles or Woolworths? Their programs sit on top of a GFSI certificate. See Coles and Woolworths audit prep.
SQF evidence, ready when the auditor asks
Filling in records is the easy part. Finding and proving them on audit day is where sites lose time.
SQF clause tracking
Track progress against SQF clauses, with evidence notes against each one, so your gap analysis stays live.
HACCP and all 18 PRPs
CCP monitoring with deviation alerts, plus ready templates for all 18 prerequisite programs.
Corrective actions
Each finding gets a root cause, owner, due date and evidence, so close-outs are ready to show.
Approved suppliers
A supplier certificate vault with expiry alerts and approved supplier records.
Traceability and recall
Batch and lot traceability records, so you can show recall readiness when asked.
Audit pack in about a minute
One-click export, organised by requirement. Built in Melbourne, with data stored in Sydney.
From request to evidence in under a minute
The auditor asks for 90 days of CCP records and how you closed last month’s deviation.
Open the SQF clause
Your clause progress and evidence notes are already there, kept up all year.
Show the corrective action
The deviation alert, root cause, owner, due date and close-out evidence are in one record.
Export the audit pack
One click builds the pack, organised by requirement. No afternoon in the filing cabinet.
Free: 59-point Retailer Audit Readiness Checklist (PDF + Excel)
Check your records against what auditors look at first, before you book your SQF audit.
Related
SQF certification: common questions
Which SQF edition should I be audited against in 2026?
How long does SQF certification take?
Is SQF Fundamentals a GFSI certificate?
Can my consultant be our SQF practitioner?
Is SQF better than BRCGS or FSSC 22000?
How often are SQF audits?
Walk into your SQF audit with the evidence ready.
Start with an honest gap check, then keep every clause’s evidence one click away.