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Food packaging certification is an independent audit showing that the films, bags, bottles, closures, cartons, cans and labels your site makes are produced under a food safety standard your customers accept. Kiwa offers BRCGS Packaging Materials, with certificates from Kiwa Agri Food, and the SQF (Safe Quality Food) Food Safety Code: Manufacture of Food Packaging, certified by Kiwa ASI, each subject to auditor availability for your products and processes. Both are programs the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) recognizes for packaging; the comparison below shows which versions.
Last updated October 13, 2026
Tell us what you make, your materials and processes, your shifts and staff numbers, which program your customers ask for and your current certification body, if any. We'll check auditor availability for your scope and confirm pricing.
Food packaging certification is a third-party audit of a packaging manufacturing site against a published food safety standard for packaging, such as the BRCGS Global Standard for Packaging Materials or the SQF Food Safety Code: Manufacture of Food Packaging. A certification body audits the site and, if it meets the standard, issues a certificate your customers can check. GFSI calls this category scope I, production of food packaging.
No U.S. law requires it. U.S. food additive law, enforced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), controls which substances may be used in food-contact materials, and FDA says its current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) rules in 21 CFR part 117, subpart B, apply to making food packaging. Certification comes from your customers: food manufacturers must keep the packaging they use safe and suitable, and many ask packaging suppliers for a GFSI-recognized certificate as evidence. If your customers don't need GFSI recognition, see our cGMP Food Packaging certification, a Kiwa ASI good manufacturing practice audit that isn't GFSI-benchmarked or accredited.
There's no "GFSI certificate". GFSI benchmarks certification programs, and your site is certified to one of them. For food packaging, GFSI recognizes four programs (see GFSI's list), listed A to Z: BRCGS Packaging Materials, FSSC 22000, IFS PACsecure and SQF. Each buyer decides which it accepts.
Food sites certified to BRCGS Food Safety or SQF must approve their packaging suppliers based on risk. BRCGS lists a valid BRCGS or GFSI-benchmarked certificate as one way to approve a supplier.
A certificate doesn't make a material legal for food contact. That depends on FDA's food additive rules, such as a regulation in 21 CFR parts 174 to 178 or an effective food contact notification.
Both programs audit how you make packaging: hazard analysis, specifications, foreign matter, glass and brittle plastic, cleaning, pest control, print controls and traceability.
Certification audits repeat at least every 12 months, and at least one audit in every three years is unannounced.
Sites that make packaging or food-contact materials for food can certify to BRCGS Packaging Materials or the SQF packaging code. SQF covers the packaging materials below, including single-use foodservice items, under one food sector category, FSC 27, Manufacture of Food Packaging, which includes on-site storage; for chemical products, ask us whether FSC 27 applies. For BRCGS, the certification body, not the site, assigns a product category from Appendix 2 of the Standard.
| What you make | Examples | BRCGS product category |
|---|---|---|
| Flexible plastics | Films, bags, pouches, wraps and lidding | Flexible plastics manufacture |
| Rigid plastics | Bottles, preforms, trays, tubs, closures and foam containers | Rigid plastics forming |
| Paper and board | Folding cartons, corrugated cases, paper bags, cups and plates | Paper-making and conversion |
| Metal | Cans, ends, closures and foil containers | Metal forming |
| Glass | Bottles and jars | Glass manufacture and forming |
| Printing | Printed films, labels, sleeves and printed cartons | Print processes |
| Single-use foodservice items | Paper cups and plates, disposable containers, and (under SQF) napkins, straws and stirrers | In scope since Issue 7 when made from the same raw materials, by the same processes, as packaging; the certification body confirms scope and assigns the category |
| Chemical products used in packaging | Products the certification body places in the chemical processes category | Chemical processes: ask us to confirm before you apply |
Scope at Kiwa: Kiwa Agri Food's United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) schedule lists seven of the eight BRCGS packaging product categories: every category in the table except chemical processes, plus other manufacturing, which the table doesn't show. If your products fall under chemical processes, ask us to confirm before you apply. A warehouse that only stores packaging falls under SQF's Storage and Distribution code (FSC 26), not the packaging code.
Packaging can put foreign material, chemicals or the wrong allergen information into food, or fail to protect it. The examples below come from FDA records, European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) assessments and state laws; the right-hand column shows where BRCGS Packaging Materials and the SQF packaging code address each hazard.
| Hazard | What has happened | Where the standards address it |
|---|---|---|
| Physical contamination | In a 2020–21 U.S. recall of 7,736 bags of popcorn, plastic fragments had been left in the bags by the package manufacturer (FDA Enforcement Report). FDA's compliance policy treats hard or sharp objects 7 to 25 mm long in ready-to-eat food as possible grounds for action. | Foreign matter controls: glass, porcelain, ceramic and brittle plastic items kept out of manufacturing, handling and storage areas or listed and inspected (SQF 13.7.1); glass and brittle materials, and sharps and metal control (BRCGS 4.9.1 and 4.9.2); housekeeping and cleaning (BRCGS fundamental 4.8) |
| Chemical migration | In 2005, EFSA assessed ITX (2-isopropylthioxanthone), a printing-ink photoinitiator found in carton-packed foods including infant formula: undesirable, but of low health concern at the levels reported. In 2009, it assessed 4-methylbenzophenone from packaging inks in some breakfast cereals, and in 2012 it said mineral oil in some dry foods may partly come from recycled paper and board. | Raw material specifications and food-contact compliance (SQF 2.3.2.4; BRCGS fundamental 3.4), hazard analysis that covers inks, coatings and recycled materials |
| PFAS | In February 2024, FDA announced that grease-proofing agents containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are no longer sold for food-contact use in the U.S., and several states ban intentionally added PFAS in some or all food packaging. | Supplier documents and specifications; state law compliance stays with you (see the rules below) |
| Wrong or misprinted packaging | An FDA study of fiscal years 2013 to 2019 found labeling-associated errors behind 71.1% of major food allergen recalls with a known root cause, without saying how many came from packaging. FDA's draft guidance treats an undeclared allergen caused by using the wrong packaging as a chemical hazard. | Accurate, legible printed materials (SQF 2.3.2.3), start-up and changeover checks (SQF 2.6.1.2), and control of printing plates and cylinders (SQF 2.3.2.10); artwork and print control (BRCGS 5.2 and 5.3) and manufacturing process control, including start-up checks and line clearance (BRCGS fundamental 5.4) |
| Seal and closure defects | In February 2025, canned tuna was recalled after the packer's supplier reported a defect in the easy-open lid that could compromise the seal; no illnesses were reported. | Finished product specifications and suitability for intended use (SQF 2.3.2.8); manufacturing process control (BRCGS 5.4) |
| Odor and taste | FDA's general rule for food-contact materials (21 CFR 174.5(b)) says a material allowed by regulation is still unlawful if it gives food an odor or taste that makes it unfit. | Specifications, raw material approval and process control |
| Hygiene of food-contact surfaces | FDA requires food plants to make sure "food-packaging materials are safe and suitable" (21 CFR 117.80(a)(2)), so packaging hygiene is part of your customer's food safety. | Personal hygiene based on risk and the packaging's intended use (BRCGS 6.2.1), cleaning (BRCGS 4.8) and pest management (BRCGS 4.11); good manufacturing practices for packaging (SQF Module 13) |
Testing is separate: auditors review your specifications, supplier documents and test results. Kiwa ASI doesn't test packaging for migration, PFAS or anything else; accredited labs do that.
Both are GFSI-recognized programs for food packaging, and both audit the same kinds of controls. They differ in structure, results and how audits are scheduled. Neither is better: the right one is the one your customers accept.
| Topic | BRCGS Packaging Materials | SQF Food Safety Code: Manufacture of Food Packaging |
|---|---|---|
| Program owner | BRCGS | The SQF Institute (SQFI), a division of FMI – The Food Industry Association |
| Version audited now | Issue 7, published October 28, 2024; audits since April 28, 2025 | Edition 9. SQFI published Edition 10, "Manufacture of Food Sector Packaging", in March 2026; its audits start no earlier than January 2, 2027 |
| GFSI status | GFSI's recognized list names Issue 6; Issue 7 is being benchmarked against GFSI's 2024 requirements | GFSI recognizes Edition 9; Edition 10 is being benchmarked |
| Structure | 7 sections, with 8 fundamental requirements; optional modules are assessed pass or fail | System elements (Module 2) plus good manufacturing practices for packaging (Module 13), with 22 mandatory elements in Edition 9 |
| Risk basis | Hazard analysis and risk assessment (HARA), a fundamental requirement | A food safety plan based on the Codex Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) steps (mandatory element 2.4.3) |
| Result | A grade of AA, A, B, C or D, or AA+ to D+ after an unannounced audit, set by the number and type of nonconformities | Under Edition 9, a score out of 100: E (96–100), G (86–95), C (70–85, with a 6-month surveillance audit) or F (0–69, no certificate). SQFI says Edition 10 updates scoring |
| Fixing nonconformities | Closed out within 28 days after the audit | Closed within 30 calendar days, with root cause analysis |
| Unannounced audits | At least 1 in every 3 years; sites can choose a fully unannounced program | At least 1 in every 3 years; sites can choose every year |
| Who issues Kiwa's certificate | Kiwa Ltd (trading as Kiwa Agri Food), accredited by UKAS | ASI Food Safety, LLC (Kiwa ASI), accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB, ID 1222) for Edition 9.0 |
Other GFSI options: listed A to Z, GFSI also recognizes FSSC 22000 and IFS PACsecure for food packaging. Kiwa ASI delivers FSSC 22000 through a Kiwa group certification body (ask us to confirm the packaging category, I, for your site) and doesn't offer IFS PACsecure. Ask each major customer which programs and versions it accepts before you choose.
The BRCGS Global Standard for Packaging Materials, Issue 7 has seven sections: senior management commitment, hazard and risk management, product safety and quality management, site standards, product and process control, personnel, and requirements for traded products. Eight requirements are marked fundamental. Hygiene controls, such as personal hygiene (6.2.1) and cleaning (4.8.2), are based on risk and the packaging's intended use.
| Clause | Fundamental requirement |
|---|---|
| 1.1 | Senior management commitment and continual improvement |
| 2.0 | Hazard analysis and risk assessment |
| 3.4 | Specifications |
| 3.5 | Internal audits |
| 3.10 | Traceability |
| 4.8 | Housekeeping and cleaning |
| 5.4 | Manufacturing process control |
| 6.1 | Training and competence |
Enhanced requirements for developing, implementing and auditing a product safety culture, with a culture plan (1.1.2).
Issue 7 adds an allergen risk assessment to allergen management (4.9.4).
Sites test traceability across product groups at least once a year, from raw materials to customer and back, and should be able to trace within 4 hours (3.10.4).
At least two internal audits a year, at different times of the year (3.5.1).
Items such as paper cups and plates are now in scope, along with clearer rules for outsourced activities.
Announced, unannounced or blended audits; blended audits (remote document review plus an on-site visit) are for recertification only.
Position statement P708 amended clauses 4.4.1 and 4.8.2 from August 10, 2026 to align with GFSI's 2024 requirements.
Who certifies: Kiwa ASI offers BRCGS Packaging Materials audits to U.S. sites, subject to auditor availability. Certificates are issued by Kiwa Ltd (trading as Kiwa Agri Food), a BRCGS-approved certification body accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS, No. 0072) for Packaging Materials Issue 7, in seven of the eight product categories (not chemical processes). You can check any certificate in the BRCGS Directory. BRCGS also offers additional modules, such as plastic pellet loss prevention, which are assessed pass or fail and aren't part of the grade; ask us whether we can add one to your audit.
The SQF Food Safety Code: Manufacture of Food Packaging (Edition 9) covers food sector category 27: making food sector packaging, such as flexible films, paperboard containers, metal, glass, plastic and foam containers, pouches and single-use foodservice items, and storing it on site. Sites meet the system elements in Module 2 and the good manufacturing practices for packaging in Module 13. Twenty-two system elements are mandatory and can't be marked not applicable. Every site needs a primary and a substitute SQF practitioner who meet the code's requirements (2.1.1.4 and 2.1.1.5). SQFI recommends at least 90 days of records before the first audit.
| Element | What it requires |
|---|---|
| 2.3.2 Specifications | Raw materials, including recycled and plant-based materials, must be suitable for their intended use and food-contact compliant where applicable (2.3.2.4), checked with a letter of guaranty plus a certificate of conformance, certificate of analysis, inspection, sampling or testing (2.3.2.6). Finished product specifications confirm the packaging suits its intended use (2.3.2.8), and printing plates, anilox rollers and cylinders are controlled (2.3.2.10). |
| 2.4.3 Food Safety Plan (mandatory) | A HACCP-based plan built on the 12 Codex steps (2.4.3.1). Product descriptions include properties such as water vapor transmission rate and gas permeability (2.4.3.4). |
| 2.6.1 Product Identification (mandatory) | Checks at start-up and changeover that the right product information is running (2.6.1.2), and printed materials that are accurate and legible, including allergen information (2.3.2.3). |
| 2.8.1 Allergen Management (mandatory) | An allergen risk assessment covering printed packaging and food-grade lubricants. Sites that don't handle allergens still need a program for unintended allergens from suppliers, contract manufacturers, employees and visitors (2.8.1.3). |
| 13.7.1 Foreign Matter Contamination | Containers, equipment, utensils and tools made of glass, porcelain, ceramics or brittle plastics aren't allowed in manufacturing, handling or storage areas, with listed exceptions (13.7.1.3); permitted items go on a glass inventory and are inspected at a frequency based on risk (13.7.1.4). |
A food safety culture assessment plan (2.1.1.3).
A new change management element (2.3.5).
A new service providers element (2.3.6).
Now a mandatory element (2.6.4).
Raw and packaging materials must be reviewed and confirmed as food-contact compliant and fit for their intended purpose (2.3.2.7).
SQFI says Edition 10 updates scoring; ask us how it will apply to your audit.
Edition 10 labels key clauses, such as specifications, the food safety plan and foreign matter, as core clauses.
Edition 9 now, Edition 10 no earlier than 2027: SQF audits use Edition 9 until Edition 10 audits begin, which SQFI says will be no earlier than January 2, 2027, depending on GFSI benchmarking. The Edition 10 code is called "Manufacture of Food Sector Packaging" (see SQFI's change document). Kiwa ASI (ASI Food Safety, LLC) is an SQFI-licensed certification body accredited by ANAB to ISO/IEC 17065 (ID 1222) for the SQF Food Safety Code: Manufacture of Food Packaging, Edition 9.0; ask about our Edition 10 status when you request a quote.
Both programs include an on-site audit: the auditor reviews your documents and records, interviews staff, watches production and checks traceability. By agreement, SQF lets part of an audit run remotely as long as at least half of the audit time is on site, and a BRCGS blended recertification audit reviews records remotely before the on-site visit. A BRCGS Packaging Materials audit averages 1.5 to 2.5 days on site, based on staff per main shift, site size and the number of hazard and risk studies, and other factors can change that by up to 30%. For SQF, the certification body sets audit time for your site.
| Area | Focus |
|---|---|
| Management and culture | Senior management commitment, resources, food safety culture and continual improvement |
| Hazard analysis | The HARA (BRCGS) or HACCP-based food safety plan (SQF): physical, chemical, allergen and hygiene hazards for each product and process |
| Specifications and food-contact compliance | Raw material and finished product specifications, supplier approval and documents showing food-contact compliance, including for recycled materials |
| Factory standards | Foreign matter, glass and brittle plastic, cleaning, pest control, maintenance and personal hygiene |
| Process and print control | Process settings and monitoring, changeovers and line clearance, print accuracy, plates and cylinders, and product release |
| Traceability and incidents | Tracing materials from supplier to customer, a traceability test, complaints, recalls and nonconforming product |
| People and internal audits | Training and competence, and internal audits of the whole system |
The two programs report results differently:
| Program and result | How it's set | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| BRCGS: AA, A, B, C or D | The number and type of nonconformities; AA+ to D+ after an unannounced audit | If certification is granted, the certificate is issued within 42 calendar days of the first audit day |
| SQF Edition 9: E – Excellent | 96–100 | Certified; recertification in 12 months |
| SQF Edition 9: G – Good | 86–95 | Certified; recertification in 12 months |
| SQF Edition 9: C – Complies | 70–85 | Certified, with a surveillance audit at 6 months |
| SQF Edition 9: F – Fails to Comply | 0–69 | No certificate |
SQF deducts 1 point for a minor nonconformity, 5 for a major and 50 for a critical, so a site with a critical nonconformity can't pass. BRCGS sets its grade bands in the Standard.
Nonconformities are closed out within 28 days after the audit, with evidence your certification body accepts, according to BRCGS's Guide to Certification.
Minor and major nonconformities are closed within 30 calendar days, with root cause analysis. The certification body can allow more time for structural or seasonal fixes if temporary controls are in place.
Both programs require at least one unannounced audit every three years. BRCGS adds a plus to the grade after an unannounced audit, and both programs let sites choose fully unannounced audits.
For the programs in general, see our BRCGS certification and SQF certification pages.
FDA regulates the substances in food-contact materials as indirect food additives, and its CGMP rules apply to making packaging. States add rules of their own, mostly on PFAS. Certification sits alongside these rules and doesn't replace them. The table covers the U.S. rules packaging makers ask us about most.
| Rule | What it means for you | Where certification fits |
|---|---|---|
| Food-contact status of materials | Each substance that may migrate into food needs a legal basis: a regulation in 21 CFR parts 174 to 178, generally recognized as safe (GRAS) status, a prior sanction, a threshold of regulation exemption or an effective food contact notification (FCN). FDA's general rule also limits components to suitable purity and the amount reasonably required. | Auditors check that specifications and supplier documents address food-contact compliance; they don't approve materials |
| FDA food facility registration | Not needed for a plant that makes only packaging: FDA says food-contact substances don't count as food for registration. A site that also packs or holds food, such as filling food into the packaging it makes, generally must register, unless an exemption applies. | Certification isn't registration |
| FDA CGMPs (21 CFR part 117) | FDA says the CGMPs in subpart B apply to making food packaging, but the preventive controls and supply-chain subparts (C and G) don't, so FDA doesn't require a food safety plan from a packaging-only plant (FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) FAQ). | Both programs ask for more: BRCGS requires a hazard analysis and risk assessment (HARA), and SQF a HACCP-based food safety plan |
| Your food customers' duties | Food plants must make sure food-packaging materials are safe and suitable (21 CFR 117.80(a)(2)). FDA's draft guidance says the FSMA supply-chain program isn't required for food-contact substances, so requests for certification come from customers' own supplier programs. | A certificate and audit report are common evidence for supplier approval |
| Recycled plastics | FDA's guidance Use of Recycled Plastics in Food Packaging (Chemistry Considerations), revised in July 2021, describes the chemistry information FDA recommends for using recycled plastic in food contact. | Recycled raw materials are covered in hazard analysis (BRCGS) and specifications (SQF 2.3.2.4) |
| PFAS: federal | FDA announced in February 2024 that PFAS grease-proofing agents are no longer sold for food-contact use in the U.S., and in January 2025 found the 35 related FCNs no longer effective. Other PFAS food-contact uses remain authorized. | Specifications and supplier documents |
| PFAS: state laws | Several states restrict PFAS in food packaging, for example New York (intentionally added PFAS in plant-fiber packaging, from December 31, 2022), California (plant-based packaging that contains PFAS, from January 1, 2023), Washington (intentionally added PFAS in certain paper and plant-fiber items, such as wraps, plates, pizza boxes, bags, bowls and open-top containers, in phases from February 1, 2023 and May 1, 2024, with a certificate of compliance kept on file) and Minnesota (intentionally added PFAS in any food package, including inks, from January 1, 2024). Check each state where your packaging is sold. | A certification audit isn't a check of state law |
An FCN covers only the notifier's substance, so buy that substance from the company that holds the notification. We're not a regulator: Kiwa ASI doesn't review food contact notifications, write letters of guaranty, test for migration or PFAS, or act for FDA. For regulatory status, ask your resin, ink and coating suppliers and a food-contact regulatory specialist. For background, see our article on cGMP for food packaging.
The official documents behind this page. BRCGS documents are on brcgs.com (the Issue 7 Standard is a free PDF after you sign in), SQF codes on sqfi.com, and U.S. rules on FDA's and eCFR's sites. Check for updates before you rely on them.
Food packaging certification costs an audit fee quoted for your site each year, plus, for SQF, SQFI's $650 yearly site registration fee ($800 for two or more SQF codes), plus your preparation and any testing. Audit time is calculated from your staff numbers, site size and processes.
Paid to the certification body and quoted for your site: audit days, number of products and processes, travel and any unannounced or extra modules.
Paid to SQFI each year: $650 for the packaging code, or $800 if you're audited to two or more SQF codes (rates in effect since April 1, 2024).
The BRCGS Issue 7 Standard (free PDF with a brcgs.com account) and the SQF codes are free to download.
Your team's time to write procedures, build the hazard analysis or food safety plan, train staff, run internal audits and keep records, plus any facility upgrades.
Migration, PFAS or other tests your customers or specifications call for, from your labs and suppliers.
Switching certification bodies doesn't change SQFI's registration fee. Request a quote for audit pricing for your site.
Nine steps from your first customer request to a certificate. Allow several months to build the system; SQFI recommends at least 90 days of records before an SQF audit.
Find out which programs and versions each major customer accepts, and by when they need your certificate.
Download the BRCGS Issue 7 Standard or the SQF packaging code and read the audit rules. For SQF, ask us whether your first audit will use Edition 9 or Edition 10.
List the products, materials and processes to certify, and whether you store packaging off site.
Compare your site with the standard, using BRCGS's self-assessment checklist or the SQF code, and plan the fixes.
Write the hazard analysis or food safety plan, specifications, food-contact compliance records, allergen and foreign matter controls, and a culture plan.
Train staff, name a primary and a substitute SQF practitioner if you choose SQF, and keep records that show the system works.
Audit the whole system before the certification audit; BRCGS Issue 7 asks for at least two internal audits a year.
For SQF, register your site with SQFI and pay the fee; for either program, agree the audit date and scope with your certification body.
Close nonconformities within 28 days (BRCGS) or 30 days (SQF), share your certificate with customers, and recertify at least every 12 months, with an unannounced audit at least every three years.
Live virtual courses from ASI Training and Consulting, LLC, which operates separately from the certification body. Taking a course is optional and has no effect on your audit outcome. Neither BRCGS nor SQFI requires these particular courses.
SQFI's Implementing SQF Systems course for the Edition 10 packaging code, taught live by an SQFI Certified Trainer. Useful for the SQF practitioner who leads your system.
16 contact hours · 4 half-days · Live online
Next date to be announced. Ask about upcoming dates
Plan, run and report internal audits against BRCGS Global Standards, such as the two internal audits a year Issue 7 asks for.
Live online
Next date to be announced. Ask about upcoming dates
International HACCP Alliance (IHA)-accredited HACCP course, for building the HACCP-based food safety plan or hazard analysis your program needs.
16 contact hours · 4 half-days · Live online
Next date to be announced. Ask about upcoming dates
Allergen risk assessment, cross-contact and label controls, for SQF allergen management and Issue 7's allergen risk assessment.
4 hours · Live online
Next date to be announced. Ask about upcoming dates
Kiwa ASI offers BRCGS and SQF packaging audits through accredited certification bodies, so you can choose the program your customers accept.
BRCGS Packaging Materials with certificates from Kiwa Agri Food, and SQF from Kiwa ASI, subject to auditor availability for your products and processes.
Kiwa Ltd (trading as Kiwa Agri Food) is accredited by UKAS (No. 0072) for BRCGS Packaging Materials Issue 7, for seven of the eight product categories. ASI Food Safety, LLC is accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) to ISO/IEC 17065 (ID 1222) for the SQF packaging code, Edition 9.0.
BRCGS audits use auditors approved for Packaging Materials, subject to availability for your products. SQF packaging audits are led by auditors registered for food sector category 27, Manufacture of Food Packaging.
We certify; we don't consult for the sites we certify. Training comes from a separate company and has no effect on your audit.
We don't test packaging, review food contact notifications, write letters of guaranty or act for FDA. Your suppliers, labs and regulatory advisers handle those.
Food packaging certification is a third-party audit of a packaging manufacturing site against a food safety standard for packaging, such as BRCGS Packaging Materials or the SQF Food Safety Code: Manufacture of Food Packaging. If the site meets the standard, the certification body issues a certificate, which the site keeps with audits at least every 12 months. GFSI calls this category scope I, production of food packaging.
No. Certification is a customer requirement. U.S. law instead controls which substances may be used in food-contact materials, and FDA says the CGMPs in 21 CFR part 117, subpart B, apply to making food packaging. Many food manufacturers ask packaging suppliers for GFSI-recognized certification as part of their supplier approval.
Listed A to Z, GFSI recognizes four programs for food packaging (scope I): BRCGS Packaging Materials, FSSC 22000, IFS PACsecure and SQF. Kiwa ASI offers BRCGS Packaging Materials and SQF, subject to auditor availability for your scope. It delivers FSSC 22000 through a Kiwa group certification body (ask us to confirm the packaging category, I, for your site) and doesn't offer IFS PACsecure.
Both programs are GFSI-recognized (for BRCGS, GFSI's list names Issue 6 while Issue 7 is benchmarked) and audit similar controls. BRCGS Packaging Materials Issue 7 has seven sections and eight fundamental requirements, grades sites AA to D (AA+ to D+ after an unannounced audit) and gives 28 days to close nonconformities. The SQF packaging code combines system elements with good manufacturing practices for packaging, scores sites out of 100 under Edition 9 (E, G, C or F) and gives 30 days to close nonconformities.
Choose the program your customers accept. Neither is better. Ask each major customer which programs and versions it accepts, and whether it wants a particular grade or rating, before you decide.
BRCGS Packaging Materials is a GFSI-recognized program, but GFSI's recognized list currently names Issue 6. Issue 7, which BRCGS has audited since April 28, 2025, is being benchmarked against GFSI's 2024 requirements. Ask your customers whether that affects them.
SQFI says Edition 10 audits will start no earlier than January 2, 2027, depending on GFSI benchmarking. Until then, packaging sites are audited to Edition 9 of the SQF Food Safety Code: Manufacture of Food Packaging. The Edition 10 code is called Manufacture of Food Sector Packaging. Kiwa ASI's ANAB accreditation covers Edition 9.0, so ask about our Edition 10 status when you request a quote. If your first audit could fall in 2027 or later, ask us which edition it will use before you build your system.
Not if it makes only packaging. FDA says food-contact substances aren't food for food facility registration, so a packaging-only plant doesn't trigger the requirement. A site that also packs or holds food, such as filling food into the packaging it makes, generally must register, unless an exemption applies.
Only partly. FDA says the CGMPs in 21 CFR part 117, subpart B, apply to making food packaging, but the preventive controls and supply-chain subparts (C and G) don't, so FDA doesn't require a food safety plan from a packaging-only plant. BRCGS still requires a hazard analysis and risk assessment, and SQF a HACCP-based food safety plan.
No. A BRCGS or SQF certificate shows your site meets a food safety standard; it doesn't approve any material. Food-contact status depends on FDA's rules, such as a regulation in 21 CFR parts 174 to 178, GRAS status, a prior sanction, a threshold of regulation exemption or an effective food contact notification.
A BRCGS Packaging Materials audit averages 1.5 to 2.5 days on site, based on staff per main shift, site size and the number of hazard and risk studies, and other factors can change that by up to 30%. For SQF, the certification body sets the audit time for your site.
Sites are graded AA, A, B, C or D, depending on the number and type of nonconformities, with a plus (AA+ to D+) after an unannounced audit. Nonconformities are closed out within 28 days, and if certification is granted, the certificate is issued within 42 calendar days of the first audit day.
Under Edition 9, each minor nonconformity costs 1 point, each major 5 and each critical 50. A score of 96 to 100 is E (Excellent) and 86 to 95 is G (Good), both recertified in 12 months; 70 to 85 is C (Complies), with a surveillance audit at 6 months; and 0 to 69 is F (Fails to Comply), with no certificate.
At least one audit in every three years is unannounced under both BRCGS Packaging Materials and SQF. BRCGS adds a plus to the grade after an unannounced audit, and both programs let sites choose fully unannounced audits.
The audit fee is quoted for your site, based on audit days, products, processes and travel. SQF sites also pay SQFI a registration fee each year: $650 for the packaging code, or $800 for two or more SQF codes. Add your preparation time and any testing your customers ask for.
Food sector category 27, Manufacture of Food Packaging, covers making food sector packaging, such as flexible films, paperboard containers, metal, glass, plastic and foam containers, pouches and single-use foodservice items like napkins and straws, and storing it on site. A warehouse that only stores packaging falls under SQF's Storage and Distribution code.
Yes. Print processes are one of the eight BRCGS packaging product categories, and Issue 7 brought single-use disposables, such as paper cups and plates, into scope. The certification body assigns your product category.
Kiwa Ltd (trading as Kiwa Agri Food), a BRCGS-approved certification body accredited by UKAS (No. 0072) for Packaging Materials Issue 7. Kiwa ASI offers these audits to U.S. sites, subject to auditor availability. Kiwa Agri Food's UKAS scope lists seven of the eight packaging product categories, so ask us to confirm if your products fall under chemical processes.
Kiwa ASI's cGMP Food Packaging audit checks good manufacturing practices against Kiwa ASI's own standard. It isn't GFSI-benchmarked or accredited. BRCGS Packaging Materials and SQF are GFSI-recognized programs with accredited certification, which many food customers ask for. For BRCGS, GFSI's list names Issue 6 while Issue 7 is being benchmarked.
No. Kiwa ASI certifies; it doesn't test packaging, review food contact notifications or write letters of guaranty. Auditors review the specifications, supplier documents and test results you get from your suppliers and labs.
No. A certification body can't consult for the sites it certifies, so we don't write or review your system before the audit. Use BRCGS's self-assessment checklist or the SQF code to check your readiness, and ask your suppliers and advisers for help building the system.
Issue 7, audited since April 28, 2025, strengthens product safety culture requirements (1.1.2), adds an allergen risk assessment (4.9.4), clarifies traceability testing (3.10.4), expects at least two internal audits a year (3.5.1), expands audit options and brings single-use disposables such as paper cups and plates into scope.
Most sites need several months to build and run their system. SQFI recommends at least 90 days of records before the first SQF audit. For BRCGS, if certification is granted, the certification body issues the certificate within 42 calendar days of the first audit day.
Usually, yes. Under SQF Edition 9, a site can change certification bodies after one certification cycle, once all nonconformities are closed, any required surveillance audit is done and the certificate isn't suspended or under threat of suspension or withdrawal; the certification number and recertification date move with the site. BRCGS doesn't allow a change of certification body in the 4 months before the re-audit due date, or when a re-audit after a failed audit or an early audit to improve a grade is due, except by BRCGS concession. Send us your current certificate and scope, and we'll check the timing and auditor availability. For BRCGS, ask us first if your products fall under chemical processes.
Tell us what you make, your processes and shifts, which program your customers ask for and your current certification body. We'll check auditor availability for your scope and quote your BRCGS or SQF audit.
BRCGS Packaging Materials certificates are issued by Kiwa Ltd (trading as Kiwa Agri Food), accredited by UKAS (No. 0072) for Issue 7, in seven of the eight product categories. ASI Food Safety, LLC is accredited by ANAB to ISO/IEC 17065 (ID 1222) for specific SQF Edition 9.0 codes, including the SQF Food Safety Code: Manufacture of Food Packaging, under its SQFI license. Training is offered by ASI Training and Consulting, LLC, a separate company from our accredited certification body, ASI Food Safety, LLC, to safeguard against conflicts of interest, and has no effect on certification decisions.