Significant changes are on the horizon as the Safe Quality Food (SQF) standard, SQF Code Edition 10, launched in March 2026. SQF is a globally recognized certification program that is benchmarked by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI). It is designed to help food producers, manufacturers, and distributors meet rigorous food safety and regulatory compliance standards. SQF certification is based on an audit of the entire food safety system and requires implementation of a broad range of food programs, including food defense and food fraud prevention.
Why is SQF Updating?
Food safety systems must evolve as technology, industry, and culture change. The tenth edition of SQF was developed over multiple years and has been created with an eye toward emerging food safety issues, global supply chain events, regulatory changes, and evolving understanding of food safety risks and best practices.
SQF describes the new edition as a strategic evolution in food safety management, with emphasis placed on a proactive approach to risk management at every level within the company. Below are some key updates to be aware of as a quality assurance professional.
Food Safety Culture
Instead of procedural checklists, the new edition focuses on an organization’s mindset. The entire organization, including leadership, must be involved. A top-down commitment to food safety is essential. Managers must lead by example and are expected to participate in food safety meetings and engage with employees. Robust food safety culture plans must demonstrate comprehensive strategies for continuous improvement and means of tracking improvements.
But it goes beyond documents and checklists: it begins with effective communication and a strong culture based on trust. Employees should be trained not only to complete assigned tasks but also to understand and minimize food safety risks. Competency assessments will be required to ensure employees are fully equipped for their jobs. If a concern arises on the floor, employees are encouraged to speak up. Managers will be expected to empower their employees and provide them with a safe environment to serve as active guardians of food safety.
Change Management
SQF calls change management a groundbreaking addition in the latest set of standards. Documented procedures that control risks must be developed for handling all types of changes, including equipment modifications, vendor transitions, personnel, ingredients, and process changes. Implementation of all changes must be controlled and traceable, with risk assessments and procedures in place for all updates.
Environmental Monitoring
Edition 10 mandates a risk-based assessment to develop environmental monitoring plans relevant to their specific site. It’s not uncommon for a facility to create an environmental monitoring plan based on consultant or industry recommendations. Often, the plan is followed year after year without noticeable changes. This SQF standard update will expect operations to anticipate pathogen risks in their environment.
While consideration of the microbes that might grow in a facility is important, other questions must be answered. Where might these organisms thrive and form niches? How might movement by people or forklifts transport bacteria throughout the building? Rather than relying on uniform protocols, SQF will challenge companies to dive deep and tailor their approach to their own environment.
Food Defense
A facility’s food defense plan is critical to ensuring a safe food supply. One immediately thinks about fences, key cards, and sign-in sheets, but SQF now requires the plan to include cybersecurity measures in recognition of digital threats. Beyond ransomware or phishing dangers to business, quality assurance professionals will also have to consider threats to industrial control systems and temperature monitoring systems that can compromise food safety.
Documentation
Document control will be emphasized in SQF Edition 10 as it is necessary for standard operating procedures (SOPs) to be consistent. They must accurately reflect real-world experience so that training and job performance are effective. SQF Edition 10 will streamline compliance documents and records into a consolidated section.
New & Updated Timelines
In SQF Edition 10, the post-audit administrative windows are more clearly defined, so sites have more runway to close findings and resolve disputes. Corrective actions for minor/major nonconformances must be approved by the auditor and closed in the SQFI Assessment Database within 40 calendar days of audit completion, an update from the previous window of 30 days.
Appeals must be filed with the Certification Body within 15 days of the technically reviewed evidence being issued, and the CB is required to respond within 15 days; if still unresolved, the site may escalate to SQFI within 55 days from the last day of the audit. Audit-related complaints must be filed with the Certification Body or SQFI within 85 days from the last day of the audit.
Revised Grading
In Edition 9, sites received scores of Excellent (96-100), Good (86-95), Complies (70-85), and Fails (0-69). In Edition 10, the score is still calculated as 100 minus any point deductions, but the outcome bands have shifted to Certified (80-100), Certified with Surveillance (70-79; requires 6-month surveillance), and Fail (0-69; failure or suspension, depending on audit type).
In the updated scoring model where a finding occurs also impacts the severity of the deduction. Core clause nonconformities are weighted more heavily than others; a minor Core Clause finding deducts two points from the score (vs. one point) and a major Core Clause finding deducts seven points (vs. five). Edition 10 scoring is designed to be more risk-based and outcome-driven.
Getting Started with Edition 10
Change isn’t easy, but the updates to the SQF standard are not arbitrary. As food safety requirements evolve, a diverse group of stakeholders spanning the entire food supply chain from food suppliers and manufacturers to auditors and technical developers participated in the program’s development. A collaborative approach that included public comments went into creating the new edition.
It takes time to develop systems to improve and demonstrate a strong food culture and to think through risk assessments for environmental monitoring and changes that might occur in the facility. Organizations should start planning now to must create procedures to reduce risk.
Want to better understand how to implement SQF Edition 10 in practice? Schedule a conversation with our team to receive tailored guidance and ensure a smooth, compliant transition.