A concrete run-through to work before your first SQF certification audit — tick each item only when you can put your hand on the record that proves it.
Real help from real food people
Chef Diego runs a real food plant. If this page didn't get you there, tell us — a person reads every message.
This is the run-through to do in the weeks before your first SQF certification audit — the initial audit against the SQF Food Safety Code, one of the schemes behind a GFSI-recognized certificate. Work down the list and tick an item only when you can put your hand on the record that proves it; the ones you cannot tick are your prep list. It backs up the lesson on what happens in your first audit, which walks the day itself.
Confirm your edition at the source
These items are written against the SQF Food Safety Code: Food Manufacturing, Edition 9 — the edition audits run on through 2026. Edition 10 is published, and its audits begin no earlier than January 2, 2027, once GFSI benchmarking finishes. Confirm which edition your audit is booked against on the SQFI code library before you rely on any clause number below. Verified July 2026.
Do this in your operation