SQF Edition 10, available since 2 March 2026, adds Core Clauses that cost more points, a food safety culture assessment plan, a change management clause and mandatory environmental monitoring. SQFI expects audits against it from 2 January 2027, not earlier, and only once GFSI recognises Edition 10.
This guide is for QA managers, SQF practitioners and internal auditors at food manufacturers, many in the GCC, who hold SQF certification or are asked for it.
When do SQF Edition 10 audits start?
The SQFI Edition 10 FAQ says audits are expected to begin on 2 January 2027. The date depends on the GFSI benchmarking application and may move later, but not earlier. Until GFSI recognises Edition 10, Edition 9 is the only GFSI-recognised SQF edition.
SQFI's guidance on which code edition to use is short. An audit before the implementation date is to Edition 9, and an audit on or after it is to Edition 10. The exception is a surveillance audit that follows an Edition 9 audit. It stays on Edition 9 even when it falls after the date, and certification bodies will not mix requirements from both editions in one audit.
Edition 9 was also amended. Five amendments, including medical screening and supplier registers, apply from 20 February 2026. Until your site moves to Edition 10, you are audited to Edition 9 as amended.
What changed in the Food Manufacturing code, clause by clause?
The table summarises SQFI's Edition 10 Food Manufacturing change document, Modules 2 and 11, in our own words. Other codes have their own change documents and Core Clauses.
| Clause | What changed in Edition 10 | Core Clause |
|---|---|---|
| 2.1.1 Management responsibility | New documented culture assessment plan (2.1.1.3). Applies to all site management, not only senior. Objectives get their own element (2.1.1.4) | Yes |
| 2.1.1.5 SQF practitioner | Adds an escalation process and logo-use duties. Blackout dates go to the certification body at least 90 days before the audit window, not 30, and for every audit, not only unannounced ones | Within 2.1.1 |
| 2.1.2 Management review | Adds system test results, trends, recalls, regulatory issues and all complaints. Agenda format. Monthly update on corrective actions, audits and complaints | Yes |
| 2.1.3 Complaint management | Now a Core Clause | Yes |
| 2.2.3 Records | Records gathered into three new elements: mandatory annual records (2.2.3.3) and programme records (2.2.3.4, 2.2.3.5). Section 2.2 renamed Documentation and Records | No |
| 2.3.4 Approved supplier program | Now a Core Clause | Yes |
| 2.3.5 Change management | New clause. A procedure evaluates temporary, emergency, unplanned and CAPA-driven changes. Each is confirmed, documented and communicated in time to keep food safe | No |
| 2.4.3 Food safety plan | Latest Codex text. The food safety team leader must be HACCP trained | Yes |
| 2.4.4 Sampling and analysis | Internal and external laboratory rules split. Proficiency testing stays, but the annual frequency is dropped | No |
| 2.4.8 Environmental monitoring | 2.4.8.1 is mandatory. Every site needs a risk-based programme, with target pathogens from its own hazard analysis | Yes |
| 2.5.3 Corrections and CAPA | Names corrections separately. Adds root cause methods, negative trends and regulatory infractions | Yes |
| 2.5.4 Internal audits | GMP inspections move to verification (2.5.2). Auditor training moves to 2.9. The annual audit of the whole code is unchanged, with stronger CAPA wording | No |
| 2.6.1 Product identification | Now a Core Clause | Yes |
| 2.6.2 to 2.6.4 Trace, recall, crisis | Trace is tested, not reviewed. Recall test covers every part of the programme. Crisis management tested in full | No |
| 2.8.1 Allergen management | Now a Core Clause | Yes |
| 2.9 Training | One clause. Frequency must be set. Training assessment required (2.9.1.2) | No |
| 11.2.5 Cleaning and sanitation | Cleaning requirements gathered in one place | Yes |
| 11.7.3 Foreign matter | Now a Core Clause | Yes |
How does Edition 10 scoring work?
Edition 10 keeps the Edition 9 model of starting at 100 and deducting points. Edition 9 deducts 1 point for a minor, 5 for a major and 50 for a critical non-conformance. Edition 10 adds Core Clauses, where a minor costs 2 points and a major costs 7. A critical still costs 50.
SQFI's stated reason is feedback that high scores did not always reflect a site's real risk. Two majors and a minor cost 11 points under Edition 9, and 15 under Edition 10 if both majors, but not the minor, fall on Core Clauses. Check the Edition 10 rating bands in Part A of your code before you assume the Edition 9 bands carry over.
Count your Core Clauses in your own code's change document. SQFI's web page gives nine examples for all codes. The Food Manufacturing change document marks eleven, because Management Review (2.1.2) and Complaint Management (2.1.3) sit alongside 2.1.1 under Management Commitment.
What has SQFI amended since March 2026?
Edition 10 has already changed. SQFI's Edition 10 updates table, current as of 10 September 2026, amends codes from primary production to packaging, and Part A. In the manufacturing codes, 11.6.5.2 on vehicle design and construction changed.
One Part A change matters to every site. Part A2:23 moved the certificate expiry from 75 to 80 days. Under Edition 9, a certificate stays valid for 75 days beyond the anniversary of the initial certification audit date.
Appendices such as the glossary are now separate web pages, and checklists and change documents are Excel files in English only. A copy saved in March may be out of date, so download it again before a gap assessment.
What will the auditor ask to see under Edition 10?
SQFI's change summaries and blog posts point to this evidence, which doubles as an internal audit checklist.
- A documented culture assessment plan and proof it is used. SQFI says auditors may review the plan, survey results, training content, corrective actions and management review minutes, and interview leaders, supervisors, operators and temporary staff.
- A change management procedure, with records showing each change was risk-assessed, approved, communicated and trained before it went live. SQFI names common failures: verbal changes never written down, reviews skipped because a step is not a CCP, training after go-live and no check on effectiveness.
- An environmental monitoring programme sized by a documented risk assessment.
- Monthly management updates plus an annual review that follows an agenda.
- Training records that include an assessment, and a HACCP-trained food safety team leader.
- A trace test rather than a desk review, and a recall test that covers every part of the recall programme.
Then recalibrate the audit programme. Give Core Clauses more audit time, keep auditing the entire code at least once a year and move GMP inspections into the verification schedule. SQFI's own preparation steps add revalidating allergen controls, reviewing recurring non-conformances and aligning with your certification body.
What changes for a GCC food manufacturer?
SQF is voluntary. No GCC regulator requires it, and GCC plants meet it when a US or global retail buyer asks for a GFSI-recognised certificate. If your buyer accepts other GFSI schemes, our guides to BRCGS Food Safety Issue 9 and IFS Food Version 8 cover two of them.
There is no Arabic edition among the nine languages SQFI supports, and the Edition 9 code says the English text prevails where a translation differs. Every site now needs a documented assessment as part of training (2.9.1.2). A multilingual site has to plan how it tests understanding in each language.
Under 2.6.2.1, traceability must now meet the regulations of the country of production and of sale, so a UAE plant shipping to the US answers to both. Repackers are in scope too, because the Food Manufacturing code includes FSC 25, repackaging of products not made on site. The food safety plan now points to the latest Codex text, which our Codex HACCP guide explains.
How AGS can help
The SQF Edition 9 Implementation & Internal Audit Training Package teaches Edition 9, not Edition 10. It fits sites still audited to Edition 9, including Edition 9 surveillance audits after the switch date, until they move to Edition 10. It holds four editable files: Slides in PowerPoint, and a Delegate Workbook, an Exam & Assessment Pack and a Certificate Template in Word. The template records training your own organisation delivers.
Frequently asked questions
Does SQFI offer Edition 10 training?
Yes. SQFI says its online courses are aligned to Edition 10, and it sells an online Edition 10 Conversion Course in English and Spanish, listed at USD 299. SQFI-licensed training centres also train to the changes.
Who can train our internal auditors?
The Edition 9 code requires internal auditors to be trained and competent, and independent of the function audited where practical. It names no course or provider. Edition 10 moves auditor training into 2.9 and requires a documented assessment as part of it. Whether your certification body accepts a particular course is its judgement, so ask before you rely on one.
Does the SQF practitioner still need HACCP training?
Yes. Edition 10 clause 2.1.1.5 still requires a completed HACCP training course. Edition 9 Part A sets at least two days with an assessment, so check whether the Edition 10 Part A keeps that detail.
Do we have to renumber our procedures?
No. SQF does not require your policies and procedures to follow the code's numbering. Sites that numbered them to Edition 9 may need to renumber, and any checklist cross-referenced to the code will need the new numbers.
AGS provides independent documentation toolkits. This guide and the referenced training package are not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by SQFI, FMI or GFSI. The package contains no Edition 10 content and leads to no SQF qualification. This is general information, not legal advice.
Reviewed October 2026. Facts checked against the sources current at publication.
