After much expectation, a new chapter in food safety began in March with the official release of the guidelines for SQF Edition 10.
With SQF 10 audits set to begin in January 2027, Rootwurks has released a series of four new internal audits to help companies assess their own operations to be ready for the first SQF auditor visits. In each internal audit, users can find a series of assessments to track their operations and guide them to SQF 10 compliance.
Module 11 in the SQF 10 food safety code for food manufacturing covers a series of crucial subjects for safe food manufacturing. In this Rootwurks internal audit, we have produced mobile-ready assessments covering each of the standards within the module:
System Elements is the second module within SQF 10’s Food Manufacturing food safety code.
This module covers nine essential food safety standards, each of which is covered by an assessment within the Rootwurks internal audit:
The SQF 10 “Animal Product Manufacturing” food safety code can be applied to “food sector categories for slaughtering, boning, and butchery; manufactured meats and poultry; and seafood processing,” according to the SQF Institute. Within the code, teams can find the module Good Manufacturing Practices for Processing of Animal Products.
The Rootwurks internal audit includes assessments for each of the eight standards within the module:
According to the SQF Institute, the “Quality” food safety code in SQF 10 is designed “to monitor and control food quality-related threats and works best for sites that have already implemented a successful, robust food safety plan.”
Within this code, companies can find the “System Elements - Quality” module. The Rootwurks internal audit for this module covers all of its six standards:
The industry has had less than three months to get up to speed on SQF 10, which includes scoring and methodology updates for a wide range of topics ranging from change management to food safety culture and cybersecurity in food defense.
The Safe Quality Food Institute has stated that these updates are meant to “strengthen the connection between certification and real-world food safety performance.”
Under SQF 10, auditors will look at “core clauses” within good manufacturing practices. Non-conformities within these core clauses will be more severely graded than in previous SQF editions.
For example, while in both SQF 9 and SQF 10 a minor non-conformance represented a 1-point deduction, under SQF 10 there is an additional category called “core clause minor” which entails a 2-point deduction. For a major non-conformance, the deduction jumps from 5 points to 7 points if it is considered a “core clause major.”
And in one of the most significant SQF 10 updates, there is the requirement for a robust, well-documented food safety culture assessment plan.
SQF 10 internal audits are part of the holistic approach to Edition 10 compliance provided by the
Rootwurks platform. Users can access tools for instant, company-wide communication and digital recordkeeping, both of which are essential for a SQF 10 compliant food safety culture assessment plan. Users can also utilize our library of interactive, self-paced food safety training content, which helps companies build a culture of continuous learning and improvement that elevates food safety. And all of it comes included with the platform, at one low price, no hidden add-on fees.
To learn more about our internal audits and our tools for SQF 10 compliance, click the button below: