SQF Checklist: Quality - Edition 9

2.1.1.1 Senior site management shall prepare and implement a policy statement that outlines the site’s commitment to quality and includes at a minimum:

• Establishment and maintenance of a quality management system;

• Compliance with customer, regulatory, and company quality requirements;

• Identification of quality objectives and the methods used to measure them; and

• Continuous improvement of its quality performance.

2.1.1.3 Senior site management shall implement, maintain, and continuously improve the quality culture within the site that ensures at a minimum:

• Quality objectives and key performance indicators are communicated to all staff

• Provision of adequate resources to meet the objectives and key performance indicators;

• Awareness by all staff of their quality responsibilities and their accountability in meeting the requirements of the SQF Quality Code;

• Responsibility to notify management of actual or pending quality issues and empowerment to resolve quality issues within their scope of work; and

• Education of all staff to understand the importance of quality controls and deviation consequences.

2.1.1.6 Senior site management shall designate an SQF quality practitioner for each site with responsibility and authority to:

• Oversee the development, implementation, review, and maintenance of the SQF Quality System, including quality fundamentals outlined in 2.4.2 and the quality plan outlined in 2.4.3;

• Take appropriate action to ensure the integrity of the quality system; and

• Communicate to relevant personnel all information essential to ensure the effective implementation and maintenance of the quality system.

2.1.1.7 The SQF quality practitioner shall:

• Be competent to implement and maintain food quality plans using a risk-based methodology such as HACCP;

• Understand the Quality Code and the requirements to implement and maintain a quality management system; and

• Be competent, through training or experience, in process control and/or other quality tools to reduce process variation impacting quality and achieve customer requirements.

2.1.1.8 Senior site management shall develop and implement a quality communication program to ensure all staff:

• Know the site’s quality statement, quality objectives, and the process by which quality performance is measured; and

• Understand the methods by which customer, regulatory, and company quality requirements, where applicable, are met.

2.1.2.1 Senior site management shall be responsible for reviewing the performance of the SQF Quality System. Reviews shall include actions required to:

• Monitor compliance to specifications;

• Measure and reduce process and product variation;

• Meet customer requirements;

• Take appropriate corrective action where applicable; and

• Ensure sufficient resources are allocated to maintain and improve the performance of the quality system.

2.1.3.1 The methods and responsibilities for the complaint management process shall be documented and implemented. They shall include:

• A mechanism to collect and record all quality complaints resulting from activities at the site; and

• Communication processes for reporting and follow-up with senior management and customers.

2.2.1.1 Electronic and/or hard copy documentation that outlines the methods and procedures the site shall use to meet the requirements of the SQF Quality Code shall be current and maintained. It shall be made available to staff and include:

• A summary of the organization’s quality policies and the methods it will apply to meet the requirements of the SQF Quality Code;

• The policy statement and site organization chart;

• A list of the products covered under the scope of certification;

• Finished product specifications that agree with customers’ requirements and/or meet the site’s corporate quality requirements, where applicable; and

• A description of the applications of process control methods and other quality tools that are used to control and reduce process variation and meet customer specifications.

• The quality system manual may be incorporated into or be independent of the food safety system manual.

2.3.3.2 The site shall:

• Ensure that the processes in place at the contract manufacturer are capable of consistently meeting customer and/or corporate quality requirements, where applicable;

• Verify compliance with the SQF Quality Code and that all customer requirements are being met;

• Audit the contract manufacturer annually, at a minimum, to verify compliance to the SQF Quality Code and with agreed arrangements, or accept the manufacturer’s certification to the SQF Quality Code or equivalent; and

• Ensure changes to contractual agreements are approved by both parties, agreed with customers when necessary, and communicated to relevant personnel.

2.3.4.2 Material suppliers shall be selected and approved based on their ability to supply materials that meet quality specifications. The evaluation program shall require suppliers to:

• Maintain controlled and current copies of specifications;

• Have processes that are capable of consistently supplying materials that meet specification and other defined quality metrics (e.g., delivery, service, etc.);

• Provide evidence that the supplied product meets agreed specifications and metrics; and

• Have a complaint management system in place that includes corrective actions processes.

2.4.1.1 The methods and responsibilities for managing customer requirements and/or consumer expectations shall be documented and implemented. They shall include at a minimum:

• A review and approval process for all new or updated customer requirements, as they occur;

• A process for collection and analysis of data for product quality attributes to ensure specifications continue to meet consumer expectations; and

• A communication process to notify identified customers when the ability to supply compliant products is temporarily halted.

2.8.1.6 The processing of identity preserved foods shall be conducted under controlled conditions such that:

• Ingredients are physically separated from ingredients identified as incompatible with the identity preserved food;

• Processing is completed in separate rooms, scheduled as the first production run, or carried out after completion of thorough sanitation of the processing area and equipment; and

• Finished product is stored and transported in separate units or isolated by a physical barrier from the non-specialty product.

2.9.2.1 The employee training program shall include the necessary competencies for specific duties and the training methods to be applied for those staff carrying out tasks associated with:

• Process control and monitoring of critical quality points (CQPs);

• Steps identified as critical to effective implementation of the food quality plan and the maintenance of food quality; and

• Product inspection and testing.

2.9.2.2 The employee training program shall include:

• Applicable process control and quality tools training for those responsible for operating, inspecting, and overseeing key manufacturing processes;

• Training, calibration, and proficiency testing of internal laboratory personnel; SQF Quality Code, Edition 9 42 PART B: The SQF Quality Code – Quality System Elements

• Training of personnel responsible for sensory evaluations;

• Training in the application of risk-based principles, such as HACCP, used for the identification and control of quality threats for staff involved in developing and maintaining the food quality plan; and

• Provision for identifying and implementing the refresher training needs of site personnel.

2.9.2.3 Training records shall be maintained and include:

• Participant name;

• Skills description;

• Description of the training provided;

• Date training completed;

• Trainer or training provider; and

• Verification that the trainee is competent to complete the required tasks.