8 replies to this topic

[cafammbah]

Hello all,

We are considering obtaining SQF Certification but need some clarification before proceeding. Some of our products are classified as Natural Health Products (Canada), while others are classified as food, all produced within the same facility.

 

We are looking to obtain SQF certification specifically for the food products. Is this possible, or must the certification cover all products manufactured in the facility?

 

Additionally, is SQF certification specific to the products or the facility as a whole? I checked the SQF website for a contact number to ask these questions but couldn’t find one.

 

Where is the best place to find this type of information? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

[nwilson]

SQF as with any GFSI Certification is facility based and what you produce in that facility.  SQF has specific food sector categories found here:  

https://www.sqfi.com.../code-selector/

 

You can then see what applies based on the manufacturing processes you use.  The code is free to download via an excel checklist.  

 

So in short SQF covers your whole facility and not just the products, even in shared spaces an auditor will want to review the other business side to make sure there are no carry overs to your facility.  

[jfrey123]

I've run programs where areas of a facility were designated "outside of scope" and it was acceptable.  This is about 10 years ago now, but we had a warehouse suite where a wall separated a storage/processing area for a dry steam sterilization operation (maybe 30% of total suite space) and the rest was warehousing of general merchandise.  We marked on a map that those areas were out of scope, not ever utilized for food handling, and wrote the SOP's to affirm nothing food related came into that out of scope area.  We relied heavily on this documentation and physical barriers everywhere possible.

 

Some aspects of SQF/GFSI will apply to the entire building regardless (food defense, site security, pest control, etc), but it is entirely possible to designate ONLY certain areas and equipment as SQF.  In the OP's case, I think it only flies if you've got physical separation between processing and storage of your food items vs the NHP's, no shared equipment, etc.  Doing non-food and food in the same machines is asking for problems even outside of SQF requirements.

[SQFconsultant]

The SQF Certification applies to the facility/system/and products that you note are included in the scope of certification.  Thus your certificate would show what products (or categories of products) are included in the scope.

 

You can EXEMPT certain products or entire processing sections - this would be handled thru your chosen Certification Body (the company that provides the Auditor an services your certification.

 

Now the catch is those areas are normally sectioned off (walled almost always) but are still subject to inspection by an Auditor to ensure that there is no cross-over, storage of components the the scope section to the un-scoped section, or storage of foods only used in one section and not the other etc.

 

Frankly, in my about 20 years doing SQF I audited only a handful of companies that had exemptions and most of our clients did not have exemptions - except for a giant one that exempted 12 buildings on the site - that must have been a fun tour for the Auditor.

 

 

You can find all sorts of good stuff on www.SQFI.com

 

They prefer not be be called - but are quick in turn-around on their contact page...

https://www.sqfi.com/contact-us

[cafammbah]

I've run programs where areas of a facility were designated "outside of scope" and it was acceptable.  This is about 10 years ago now, but we had a warehouse suite where a wall separated a storage/processing area for a dry steam sterilization operation (maybe 30% of total suite space) and the rest was warehousing of general merchandise.  We marked on a map that those areas were out of scope, not ever utilized for food handling, and wrote the SOP's to affirm nothing food related came into that out of scope area.  We relied heavily on this documentation and physical barriers everywhere possible.

 

Some aspects of SQF/GFSI will apply to the entire building regardless (food defense, site security, pest control, etc), but it is entirely possible to designate ONLY certain areas and equipment as SQF.  In the OP's case, I think it only flies if you've got physical separation between processing and storage of your food items vs the NHP's, no shared equipment, etc.  Doing non-food and food in the same machines is asking for problems even outside of SQF requirements.

When I refer to Natural Health Products, it’s primarily a classification based on claims. The ingredients themselves are essentially food ingredients, mostly extracts, meaning they contain high concentrations of amino acids, phenols, vitamins, enzymes, probiotics, etc. I wouldn’t consider them non-food. That being said, we plan to use the same warehouse, staff, and cleaning equipment. I physical separation would be a big challenge. Thanks for your feedback—we’ll assess whether it will be easier to include all products."

[cafammbah]

The SQF Certification applies to the facility/system/and products that you note are included in the scope of certification.  Thus your certificate would show what products (or categories of products) are included in the scope.

 

You can EXEMPT certain products or entire processing sections - this would be handled thru your chosen Certification Body (the company that provides the Auditor an services your certification.

 

Now the catch is those areas are normally sectioned off (walled almost always) but are still subject to inspection by an Auditor to ensure that there is no cross-over, storage of components the the scope section to the un-scoped section, or storage of foods only used in one section and not the other etc.

 

Frankly, in my about 20 years doing SQF I audited only a handful of companies that had exemptions and most of our clients did not have exemptions - except for a giant one that exempted 12 buildings on the site - that must have been a fun tour for the Auditor.

 

 

You can find all sorts of good stuff on www.SQFI.com

 

They prefer not be be called - but are quick in turn-around on their contact page...

https://www.sqfi.com/contact-us

I appreciate your response. Thanks for the links also. It is practically impossible for us to wall of the NHP process so we will definitely look into including it in the scope.

[cafammbah]

SQF as with any GFSI Certification is facility based and what you produce in that facility.  SQF has specific food sector categories found here:  

https://www.sqfi.com.../code-selector/

 

You can then see what applies based on the manufacturing processes you use.  The code is free to download via an excel checklist.  

 

So in short SQF covers your whole facility and not just the products, even in shared spaces an auditor will want to review the other business side to make sure there are no carry overs to your facility.  

Our products will be in 2 sectors, FSC 16 - Ice, Drink, and Beverage Processing and FSC 31 - Dietary Supplements Manufacturing does it mean we will certify in 2 sectors or will one cover all?

[nwilson]

Our products will be in 2 sectors, FSC 16 - Ice, Drink, and Beverage Processing and FSC 31 - Dietary Supplements Manufacturing does it mean we will certify in 2 sectors or will one cover all?

 

Your scope would be applicable to modules 11 and 17 and you would need to meet the standard of both, the easiest way is to review both modules side by side.  There will be some parallels between the two and some nuances.  This way you can incorporate once system that would cover all the requirements.  

[jfrey123]

Yep, you'll need both listed on your cert if you want all products in your facility certified.  Module 2 is basic management and counts for both categories, module 11 will be specific to your food products and module 17 will have specifics to be met under your supplements.

 

As nwilson mentioned, you'll see a lot of overlap when you audit yourself against the checklists for both.  And it's fine to have both product types under one set of SOP's (take storage/warehousing as an example:  one document describing the practices is sufficient, just make sure you specify where ingredients are kept segregated in raw/finished form and address the food and supplements separately in all SOP's).