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SQF Certification

The SQF Certification Process at a Glance

Becoming SQF certified with an approved food safety management system is a multi-step process. From writing a standard operating procedures manual to completing gap assessments and preparing for an SQF audit – the process can be costly.

At Sirocco, we offer the SQF 9.0 Template Bundle to fast track writing your company’s SOP manual. We also offer the essential consulting and training services your company needs to successfully pass each step of the SQF 9.0 certification and auditing process.

Download the SQF Certification Process Map to identify where you are in the process and how we can help you.

With Sirocco, you’ll learn how to implement the SQF 9.0 code for your company, understand key priorities, make better decisions and avoid costly mistakes.

With each iteration and revision of the SQF code, we will provide existing clients with the option to purchase updated documents for a small fee of $15/document. Should you require additional training, we offer one-on-one online support to help you implement SQF successfully. Contact us today to request a quote.

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SQF Certification Process Map

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The SQF Certification Process

Even if you are already GMP or HACCP certified, you must develop and implement an approved food safety management system in order to become SQF certified. Good knowledge of the SQF code is key to writing a lean food safety manual that can be efficiently implemented. Certification is a multi-step process that starts with registering your facility with SQFI.

Once your facility is registered, a facility audit will be scheduled. During this audit, a SQF registered auditor will assess and determine whether the written program and site meet the SQF code requirements. This is achieved by reviewing process documents and records, inspecting the site and interviewing personnel.

Certification will be granted when all non-conformities (“gaps”) have been addressed and corrective action plans submitted for review and subsequently closed off. Depending on your existing certifications (GMP, HACCP), the adequacy of your current written program, the complexity of the product line and process, a SQF certification may take from 4 to 6 months or from one or two years.

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The SQF Shop

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What Clients Are Saying

We would like to express how grateful we are to have found Sirocco Consulting. We were a week away from our first ever SQF desk audit when we decided to purchase the SQF Templates Bundle from Sirocco. We had about 60% of our procedures in place but were able to rely on Sirocco’s template to cover the rest. The SOPs and Forms provided by Sirocco were detailed and covered all requirements of the SQF code.  We did not have any non-conformities on procedures that we implemented using the templates provided by Sirocco. After the desk audit we continued to work with Karine. A month and a half later we passed our first SQF site audit with only 6 minor non-conformities. This would not have been possible without Sirocco Consulting. Thank you from the team at Blue Ocean.
I would like to take this opportunity to express how very satisfied I was to receive and work with the Sirocco SQF bundle.  What a time saver! The templates are very easy to use and adjust to make your own. They saved me countless hours of work, guiding me through the necessary steps and gave my program a cohesive professional look. One can become overwhelmed with the volumes of paperwork that is needed for SQF and HACCP.  The Sirocco SQF bundle definitely lightened that load and combined with Karine's expertise, I couldn't be happier. Highly recommended.
I am very happy with the service Sirocco provided us. Karine and Sean are amazing food scientists/experts!  They are super knowledgeable and respond in such a timely manner when I need the support urgently with my seafood business. I cannot thank them enough for their help. Highly recommended!

Karine, […] I just wanted to thank you for the work you did on our PCP [plan]. We were audited by CFIA in November and did very well.

We were in a situation that required that we get an SQF Certification in a very short period of time. Sirocco Consulting provided us with the templates we needed and talked us through the process. No doubt without them we could not have achieved receiving our certification in the allotted time. Karine was our consultant and she made the process understandable and much less daunting than it would have been otherwise. I highly recommend Sirocco Consulting to any company that needs a third-party audit. It was one of the best investments we made in our trek to become third-party certified. We are counting on significant return on investment having achieved this milestone in our growth. Thanks Sirocco!
When we decided to implement the SQF program in our facility we knew we would have to develop a lot of new procedures and forms. We reached out to Karine Lawrence of Sirocco Consulting and with her guidance and templates, we were able to smoothly implement the code. The template package was very complete and easy to follow; each document made reference to the element of the code being covered making it easy to track our progress and if we had any questions Karine was quick to answer and provide examples. We had our desk audit recently and the auditor was happy to see how complete our documentation was, the template package and Karine’s support were key in this accomplishment.
“Thank you” very much for being with us for conducting the “Basic Sensory Science” Training here at Silver Spring Foods on the 27th September 2019. It was a great pleasure meeting with you and working with you during the course of the workshop and It was indeed a great training session. [...]It was great that our teams had the opportunity to screen the basic characteristic of the food products and along with our own range of product samples. We were very delighted the way that you presented the training and conducted the sample screenings during the session. Once again Thanking You for the job well done and for providing Certificates of Accomplishments to our Teams!
I would like to express my gratitude to my instructor Karine Lawrence, for dedicating her valuable time and energy into the FSPCA (Preventive Controls for Human Food) workshop which I attended in Toronto. The workshop was extremely informative. The teaching method, contents, and the combination of presentations and assignments were in a perfect accordance with the objectives of the workshop, as it addressed all my questions and the ambiguities that I had in my mind before the meeting. I believe that the enthusiasm and positive responses of all participants to the workshop were a reflection of usefulness and credibility of Karine’s performance during the event as well as the importance of the presented topics throughout the workshop.
I am writing this testimonial to express my gratitude to Karine Lawrence from Sirocco Food + Wine Consulting. We started our SQF implementation using the Sirocco SQF templates last August (2019) and just passed SQF 8.1 stage 1 and 2 audits on October and December. The templates are professionally written and the implementation was very easy. I highly recommend the Sirocco Consulting Templates. Thank you very much Karine.
I would like to thank both of you for organizing & presenting this informative valuable training for Food Industry Professionals within the QA Sector. With the SFCR enactment recently, I have gained valuable insight on the expectations of CFIA along with the opportunities & grants  that are available from the “Post - Farm Food Safety Program through your presentation.
Also, Ketki’s presentation on compliance with the FSMA-“Foreign Supplier Verification” gave me valuable information on the expectations of the “Importer” from the “supplier” with regards to pertinent documents associated to food products being exported to the US.
Thanks once again  for all you support.
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