Safe Quality Food Standards Are Changing For The Better

Blurb: Effective food safety practices are a significant concern, and by committing to developing a well-maintained food safety culture, businesses within the food industry are demonstrating a commitment to safety and upholding their reputation as a safe company to purchase from. By certifying to the recently revised Safe Quality Food Code Edition 9, businesses will be able to develop proven successful food safety practices and continue to remain a competitive player in their industry.

Any business that works with food across any point of the food supply chain would be aware of the significant changes to the food manufacturing and preparation process over the past year. Increased concern regarding food hygiene has seen businesses taking extra steps to ensure the food they work with remains hazard and contamination free, and safe for consumption. To help business' get a better idea of their food safety responsibilities, the Safe Quality Food (SQF) Code has recently been amended to reflect a commitment to higher food safety practices across the board, and ensure that all business’ take an active role in developing an effective food safety culture across their organisation. Specifically, the SQF Code has been revised, from Edition 8.1 to Edition 9, including amendments to standardise food safety practices. This article will discuss some of the revisions within the new SQF Code and outline how they effect business’.

The SQF Code is a Global Food Safety Initiative recognised certification program, aiming to help businesses within the food industry achieve their food safety targets and requirements. The revised SQF Code is set to be implemented in May 2021, and it would be beneficial for all organisations working within the food and beverage industry to familiarise themselves with the amendments included within, thus understanding what is required of them to achieve certification.

It ensures the highest quality food safety standards

A significant change in the revised Code is that it addresses the issue of developing a food safety culture as a unique requirement that businesses must attain. This means that compliant businesses will be required to demonstrate how they have developed an effective food safety culture across their organisation, including outlining what steps have been taken to help staff throughout this process, how their progress was charted. Therefore, as part of the Code’s quality control procedures, businesses will be required to prove that the steps they have taken to develop and maintain a stable food safety culture, as their processes will be externally evaluated and audited.

In order to meet the requirements outlined in the revised Code, businesses must perform a gap analysis of their existing processes, to ascertain where they are now in terms of compliance, what needs to be done to successfully meet the standards outlined in the revised Code and develop a clear action plan for working towards these goals. By operating in this methodical manner, businesses are ensuring that they maximise their chances of developing an effective food safety culture across their entire workplace and that any potential areas of concern are quickly addressed.

High food safety standards mean higher quality food 

Another significant change included within the revised Code is a stronger emphasis on ensuring that food safety practices consider broader safety concerns, such as the dangers associated with food mislabelling, ensuring that food handling areas are compliant, well-ventilated workspaces, and that staff competency is routinely evaluated to ensure all employees have the appropriate skillset to complete their duties, as well as support from management. 

In short, the revised Code is designed to ensure there is a standardised food safety culture across the food industry and that all businesses have a clear understanding of what is required of them to develop an effective food safety culture across their workplace, and that organisations have clear processes in place for rectifying potential food hazard and contamination risks. 

How this effects your business

After reading this article, you may be wondering how these changes directly impact your company, especially if you are already compliant with SQF Code Edition 8.1, which this revised Code is replacing. The answer is simple, as working to comply with the revised SQF Code is a streamlined process that you can build upon your existing food safety practices, amending and strengthening them to ensure they reach the higher standards outlined in the revised Code. 

After doing so, your business will improve in several areas, including:

• Efficiency: Edition 9 is designed to ensure the food safety culture and practices within a business maximise productivity, reduce downtime, and eliminate inefficiencies. 
• Employee confidence: By placing a firmer emphasis on staff training and routine competency evaluation, employees can be reassured that business’ are developing a safe, supportive food culture, which extends to promoting staff well-being and working with them to ensure their skillsets reach expectations.

If you would like to know more about how certifying to the revised SQF Code can benefit your business, then please contact Anitech’s food safety specialists today, at sales@anitechgroup.com or on 1300 802 163. By telling them about your business, including its structure, industry type, and the food it works with, they will be able to explain to you how you can go about certifying to the revised Code, the ways in which your business may benefit from this process, potential challenges you may face and how they can be overcome, and so on. Doesn’t that sound like a worthwhile plan to achieve your business goals?

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