A documented plan defining the number of samples to be selected and the acceptance or rejection criteria.

A warehouse/distribution site receiving products only from another site within the same company.

A tabulated statement giving details of actions and/or timings.

The food sector categories and those products to be covered by the certificate.

A period in which the major activity is conducted over, typically not more than five consecutive months in a calendar year; for example, harvesting and packing during the apple season.

Products that are processed at a specific time in the year, or processes which are used at a specific time in the year, for getting new/different products than those processed all year long.

Packaging that is used to collate and transport sales units to the retail environment.

Those with strategic/high-level operational responsibility for the company and the capability to authorize the financial or human resources necessary for the implementation of the Standard.

Individuals at the highest level on-site responsible for the business operation and implementation and improvement of the food safety and quality management system.

A requirement to comply with.

Compliance with the requirement is expected.

Food safety hazard, identified through the hazard assessment, which needs to be controlled by control measures.

Any food business involved in the production, manufacture, processing, transport, storage, distribution or sale of food, beverages, packaging, animal feed, or pet food, or providing support services to the food sector and run by a person, company, cooperative, partnership, joint venture, business or other organization who has, or agrees to have, a licensed certification body carry out audits and certification of its food safety management system.

An audit that reviews the site’s products and processes on-site to determine the effective implementation of the site’s documented food safety management system (includes certification audits).

An explicit or detailed description of a material, product or service.

A company or person requesting the product or service.

An individual designated by a site to oversee the development, implementation, review, and maintenance of that site’s own SQF System.

A point, procedure, operation or stage in the food chain, including raw materials, from primary production to final consumption.

The process applied to a product in final packaging (e.g. milk, fermented products, soups, beverages, etc.) with the objective of producing commercially sterile products, with a long shelf life under ambient temperature. The main concern is the inactivation of the most heat resistant pathogenic spore, namely Clostridium botulinum.

The entity that provides a product or service to the site.

A routine audit where that system has previously been certified or recertified and whose certification is current.

Where certification is revoked for a given period, pending remedial action on the part of the company.

Set of interrelated or interacting elements. A System is a planned, sustainable structured course of action. Depending on the complexity, documentation is recommended. System includes documentation, procedure description, control/monitoring, corrective action, site plan.