Phone hotline 1 (800) 477-0778 · US.Info@kiwa-asi.com
Kiwa ASI
Nearly a century of food safety expertise, headquartered in St. Louis.
Audits & Inspections
Independent second- and third-party audits for facilities at every stage.
Not sure which audit you need? Answer a few questions and see what fits. It takes about a minute.
Try the Audit Finder →cGMP Audits
Sector-specific Good Manufacturing Practice audits.
GFSI Certification
GFSI-benchmarked programs accepted by major retailers worldwide.
Not sure which audit you need? Answer a few questions and see what fits. It takes about a minute.
Try the Audit Finder →Cannabis Certification
Prove product safety in cultivation, extraction and manufacturing.
Cosmetics Certification
GMP for the cosmetics industry, including MoCRA readiness.
Dietary Supplement Certification
Go beyond basic GMPs with GFSI-benchmarked quality management.
CSR & Sustainability
Certifications for sourcing, allergens and environmental claims.
Food & Beverage
Find your sector. The tag shows the program most of our clients in that sector certify to.
ProcessingProgram
Ingredients & BeverageProgram
Cannabis
CSQ, GMP and state-specific regulatory audits.
Certification
State programs
In every tier, CSQ certification is an independent way to prove your program.
Regulatory QMS
Not sure which program your license requires? Our team maps state rules to the right audit.
Talk to a cannabis specialist →Cosmetics
GMP verification for beauty and personal-care manufacturers.
Dietary Supplements
FDA 21 CFR 111 compliance and GFSI-level quality.
Live Trainings in St. Louis
In-person classes at our St. Louis headquarters.
Live Instructor-Led Training
Virtual classes led by Kiwa ASI instructors.
SQF Edition 10
FDA & Regulatory
Hazards & Controls
Online Self-Paced Training
Learn on your schedule with e-learning courses.
Free Webinars
A 6-part 2026 series on SQF Edition 10, supplier management and compliance.
Resources
Articles, answers and media from the Kiwa ASI team.
Forms
Order certification banners or submit feedback.
Show Me Food Safety Scholarship
Supporting the next generation of food safety professionals.
Food warehouse certification is an independent audit showing that the way your site receives, stores, handles and ships food keeps it safe. This page covers two routes from Kiwa ASI: SQF (Safe Quality Food) Storage and Distribution, a program recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), certified by Kiwa ASI; and cGDP (current Good Distribution Practices), Kiwa ASI's own audit for customers that don't require GFSI recognition. Both are subject to auditor availability for your sites.
Last updated October 13, 2026
Tell us about your sites, what you store (dry, chilled or frozen), whether you transport food, which program your customers ask for and your current certification body, if any. We'll check auditor availability and confirm pricing.
Food warehouse certification is a third-party audit of a site that stores and distributes food, against a published standard such as the SQF Food Safety Code: Storage and Distribution or Kiwa ASI's cGDP Storage & Distribution audit. It covers dry, chilled and frozen warehouses, cold storage, distribution centers, third-party logistics providers (3PLs), wholesalers and transport operators. If the site meets the standard, the certification body issues a certificate your customers can check.
No U.S. law requires certification. Your customers decide whether they want one and which programs they accept. The law sets the baseline: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires food warehouses to register and to store food under conditions that protect it, and its sanitary transportation and traceability rules reach many warehouses too (see the rules below).
SQF Storage and Distribution is recognized by GFSI for storage and distribution (scope G). cGDP isn't, so it fits customers that want a food safety audit but not a GFSI-recognized certificate. A cGDP certificate earns no credit toward SQF.
A GFSI-recognized code from the SQF Institute (SQFI) for warehouses, distribution centers and transport operators, certified by Kiwa ASI under its accreditation from the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) for Edition 9.0.
Kiwa ASI's own audit based on HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) and FDA's 21 CFR Part 117, scored out of 100%, with a mock traceability exercise at every audit that must be finished in under two hours. It isn't accredited or GFSI-benchmarked.
BRCGS Storage and Distribution, FSSC 22000 and IFS Logistics are also GFSI-recognized for storage and distribution, and Kiwa delivers each through a Kiwa group certification body, subject to auditor availability.
For distribution centers that serve McDonald's restaurants, Kiwa ASI also performs DQMP (Distributor Quality Management Process) audits, as a full audit or added to a BRCGS or SQF Storage and Distribution audit.
Most warehouses and distribution centers fit a GFSI-recognized storage and distribution program (listed A to Z under the comparison below) or Kiwa ASI's cGDP audit. The table shows where SQF Storage and Distribution (food sector category 26) and cGDP fit each operation. Which program you need depends on what your customers ask for, and a few activities move you into a different code. The certification body confirms your scope.
| Your operation | Program fit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dry, chilled or frozen warehouse or distribution center | SQF Storage and Distribution or cGDP | SQF's food sector category 26 covers receipt, storage, consolidation and distribution of food at wholesale level |
| Third-party logistics provider (3PL) storing food for others | BRCGS Storage and Distribution, FSSC 22000 category G, IFS Logistics or SQF Storage and Distribution (GFSI-recognized), or cGDP | FSSC category G is for logistics providers serving other companies |
| Manufacturer's off-site warehouse | SQF Storage and Distribution or cGDP | SQF lists off-site storage for manufacturing sites under category 26. Under FSSC 22000, a manufacturer storing only its own products uses its manufacturing category |
| Transport operator or carrier | BRCGS Storage and Distribution, FSSC 22000 category G (carriers serving other companies), IFS Logistics or SQF Storage and Distribution | BRCGS Storage and Distribution can be scoped to transport only; FSSC category G covers logistics providers that store or transport food for others; IFS Logistics covers transport and storage services; SQF's category 26 includes transport operators |
| Cross-dock, wholesaler or distributor | SQF Storage and Distribution or cGDP | Recoup (repacking intact product, such as building full cases from partial cases) stays within the SQF Storage and Distribution code |
| Site that assembles gift packs, kits or bulk products made elsewhere | SQF Food Manufacturing code (category 25), not Storage and Distribution | Ask us before you apply if you repack, relabel or open product |
| Several sites under one company | SQF Storage and Distribution or cGDP | Under SQF Edition 9, each main distribution center is certified on its own; low-risk satellite warehouses, hubs and cross-docks can join as multi-site sub-sites. SQF's Edition 10 multi-site rules don't list storage and distribution, so ask us. A cGDP certificate covers the audited address; Kiwa ASI may add a nearby satellite that extends the main site's processes and shares its management system, at application or through a scope extension audit |
Storing seafood, meat, poultry or shell eggs? Federal rules add duties for these products, such as U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) registration for public warehouses holding meat or poultry; see the rules section below.
Warehouse audits address pests, temperature abuse, chemicals stored near food, damaged goods and returns, allergen cross-contact and flood damage. Warehouses don't make food, but they can still contaminate it or let it spoil. The examples below come from FDA and USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) records, rules and guidance; the right-hand column shows where the standards address each hazard.
| Hazard | What has happened | Where the standards address it |
|---|---|---|
| Pests | In 2022, FDA found a rodent infestation at a retail chain's distribution center; more than 1,000 dead rodents were removed. In 2024 the company pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and agreed to a fine and forfeiture totaling $41.675 million. All five FDA warning letters under 21 CFR Part 117 to food warehouses and distributors we reviewed (2018–2026) cited pest exclusion and plant sanitation. | A documented pest prevention program (SQF 12.2.4.1) and cGDP's good distribution practices module |
| Temperature abuse | In 2023, FSIS issued a public health alert over concerns that frozen meat products had been temperature-abused during storage at a distribution center. In a 2018 FSIS Class I recall, frozen meat and poultry was held above 60°F for more than five hours in transit, and the problem came to light only when the carrier's temperature records arrived, after the product had been sold. | Temperature monitoring at the warmest part of cold rooms (SQF 12.6.2.4) and checks of vehicles and refrigeration units before loading (SQF 12.6.5.3 and 12.6.5.5) |
| Chemicals stored with food | FDA warning letters have cited bleach leaking onto a pallet of snack food and motor oil on bottled beverages (2018), and pest spray stored on a pallet of chocolate with antifreeze beside cookies (2026). FDA requires toxic cleaning compounds and pesticides to be stored so they protect against contamination of food and packaging (21 CFR 117.35(b)(2)). | Chemical storage and handling controls in both programs |
| Damaged goods and returns | A 2022 FDA warning letter found damaged, dirty and infested customer returns mixed with products set for sale. | Handling of damaged and returned product (SQF 2.4.4.1) and cGDP's hold-and-release rules, which keep returns apart from saleable stock (2.3.1) |
| Allergen cross-contact | FDA's warehousing rule requires storage and transport that protect food against allergen cross-contact, contamination and deterioration (21 CFR 117.93). | Allergen controls for identifying, labeling and handling allergen-containing product, including recoup (SQF 2.8.1.1), and a program even where no allergens are stored (2.8.1.3) |
| Flooding and water damage | FDA's guidance for restaurants and grocers reopening after a flood says to discard food and packaging that were submerged, unless the food is in an undamaged, hermetically sealed can. | Site and building controls, and procedures for withholding and disposing of affected product |
Testing and pest control are separate: auditors review your pest control records, temperature logs and calibration records. Kiwa ASI doesn't provide pest control, calibrate equipment or test food.
Both audit the same kinds of warehouse controls, such as pest prevention, temperature control, sanitation, allergens and traceability. The difference is recognition: SQF Storage and Distribution is GFSI-recognized, and Kiwa ASI certifies it under ANAB accreditation for Edition 9.0, while cGDP is Kiwa ASI's own audit. Choose the one your customers accept.
| Topic | SQF Storage and Distribution | cGDP Storage & Distribution 2.0 |
|---|---|---|
| Who issues the certificate | ASI Food Safety, LLC (Kiwa ASI), an SQFI-licensed certification body accredited by ANAB to ISO/IEC 17065 (ID 1222) for specific SQF Edition 9.0 codes, including Storage and Distribution | Kiwa ASI publishes the cGDP standard and issues the certificate and report after an independent technical review. cGDP isn't accredited or GFSI-benchmarked |
| GFSI recognition | GFSI recognizes SQF Edition 9 for storage and distribution (scope G); Edition 10 is being benchmarked | None; cGDP isn't GFSI-benchmarked |
| Structure | System elements (Module 2) plus Good Storage and Distribution Practices (Module 12), with 21 mandatory elements in Edition 9 | Three modules: food safety management system (6 elements), current good distribution practices (15 sections) and HACCP (13 elements) |
| Food safety plan | A risk-based plan based on HACCP or preventive controls (mandatory element 2.4.3) | A HACCP module, founded on FDA's 21 CFR Part 117 |
| Result | Under Edition 9, a score out of 100: E – Excellent (96–100), G – Good (86–95), C – Complies (70–85, with a 6-month surveillance audit) or F – Fails to Comply (below 70) | A score out of 100%: Excellent (90–100), Good (80–89), Complies (70–79) or Fails (below 70); two Excellent ratings in a row earn Superior |
| Nonconformities | Under Edition 9, minor −1 point, major −5, critical −50; minor and major nonconformities closed within 30 calendar days with root cause analysis | Minor −1%, major −5%, critical −100%; corrective actions aren't required to receive the certificate, and repeat nonconformities can be upgraded |
| Traceability test | A recall test every year, one step back and one step forward | A mock traceability exercise during every audit, completed in under two hours with the auditor present, plus the site's own annual mock recall |
| Unannounced audits | At least one in every three years | Not part of the standard |
| Audit frequency | Every 12 months, or 6 months after a C – Complies rating | Every year; the certificate expires 30 days after the one-year anniversary of the last audit |
Other GFSI options: GFSI recognizes six programs for storage and distribution, listed here A to Z: BRCGS Storage and Distribution, Freshcare Supply Chain, FSSC 22000, IFS Logistics, PrimusGFS and SQF (GFSI's list). Besides SQF, Kiwa delivers three of them through Kiwa group certification bodies: BRCGS Storage and Distribution through Kiwa Agri Food (Kiwa Ltd, accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service, UKAS), with Kiwa ASI a listed U.S. office; FSSC 22000 category G through Kiwa VERIN B.V., whose Dutch Accreditation Council (RvA) accreditation covers version 6; and IFS Logistics through Kiwa España, with Kiwa ASI its U.S. office. Each is subject to auditor availability. Ask us about PrimusGFS for produce storage; Kiwa doesn't offer Freshcare.
The SQF Food Safety Code: Storage and Distribution (Edition 9) covers food sector category 26: distribution centers, warehouses and transport operators that receive, store, consolidate and distribute chilled, frozen and dry food. Sites meet the system elements in Module 2 and the Good Storage and Distribution Practices in Module 12. Twenty-one system elements are mandatory and can't be marked not applicable.
| Element | What it requires |
|---|---|
| 2.4.3 Food Safety Plan (mandatory) | A documented, risk-based plan based on HACCP or preventive controls. |
| 12.6.2 Temperature-controlled storage | Cold and chilled rooms have temperature monitoring equipment placed at the warmest part of the room, with records kept (12.6.2.4). |
| 12.6.5 Loading and transport | Trucks, vans and containers are inspected before loading to make sure they're clean, in good repair and suitable (12.6.5.3), and refrigeration units are set, checked and recorded before loading (12.6.5.5). |
| 12.6.1 Storage and stock rotation | Documented methods for stock rotation (12.6.1.3) and shelf-life control, including recouped product. |
| 12.2.4 Pest prevention | A documented, effectively implemented pest prevention program (12.2.4.1). |
| 2.6.2 Traceability (mandatory) | Product traced one step back to the supplier, with the date of receipt, and one step forward, including recouped product (2.6.2.1). |
| 2.8.1 Allergen Management (mandatory) | An allergen management program, even at sites that don't handle or store allergens (2.8.1.3). |
A new core clause (2.4.8), with the level of monitoring set by a risk assessment.
A new change management element (2.3.5).
The approved supplier program (2.3.4) becomes mandatory.
Crisis management (2.6.4) becomes mandatory.
Cleaning (12.2.5) and loading and transport (12.6.5) become core clauses.
Ratings become Certified (80–100) or Certified with Surveillance (70–79, with a surveillance audit at 6 months); a score below 70 fails an initial audit and suspends an already certified site. Core-clause nonconformities cost 2 points (minor) or 7 (major), and corrective actions close within 40 days.
Edition 9 now, Edition 10 no earlier than 2027: SQFI says audits to the Food Safety Code: Storage and Distribution, Edition 10, won't start before January 2, 2027, depending on GFSI benchmarking, and Edition 10 renumbers some clauses. Kiwa ASI's ANAB accreditation covers specific SQF Edition 9.0 codes, including Storage and Distribution, so ask about our Edition 10 status when you request a quote. Read more in our article on SQF Edition 10 storage and distribution changes.
cGDP (current Good Distribution Practices) is Kiwa ASI's own audit standard for food storage and distribution sites. Version 2.0, the ASI cGDP Audit Program – Storage & Distribution 2.0, applies to audits from January 1, 2026. It's HACCP-based and founded on FDA's 21 CFR Part 117, and it isn't accredited or GFSI-benchmarked. For the full program, see our cGDP certification page.
Food safety management system (6 elements), current good distribution practices (15 sections) and HACCP (13 elements).
During every audit, the site traces a product one step back and one step forward in under two hours with the auditor present. This doesn't replace the site's own annual mock recall.
Minor nonconformities deduct 1%, majors 5% and a critical 100%. A score of 70% or higher earns a certificate rated Complies, Good or Excellent.
Sites need at least 60 days of receiving and shipping records before a certification audit.
Audits are yearly, and the certificate expires 30 days after the one-year anniversary of the last audit.
Not a stepping stone with credit: a cGDP certificate doesn't count toward SQF or any GFSI program. If a customer later asks for GFSI recognition, you'd certify to SQF Storage and Distribution or another GFSI program separately.
Both audits include an on-site visit. For SQF, part of the audit can be done remotely by agreement, but at least half must be on-site, and unannounced audits are fully on-site. The auditor reviews your documents and records, walks receiving, storage and shipping areas, interviews staff and tests traceability. Audit time depends on the size of the site and what it handles; a cGDP audit takes at least one day.
| Area | Focus |
|---|---|
| Receiving and shipping | Inspection of incoming loads and outgoing vehicles, temperature checks at receipt and loading, and seal and damage checks |
| Temperature control | Cold and chilled room monitoring, alarms, calibration records and what happens when temperatures go out of range |
| Pest prevention and sanitation | The pest prevention program and device map, cleaning schedules, building condition and grounds |
| Storage practices | Stock rotation, shelf life, separation of chemicals and non-food items, allergen controls and handling of damaged goods and returns |
| Traceability and recall | Lot tracing one step back and one step forward, including recouped product, and the recall procedure |
| Food safety plan and people | The HACCP-based or preventive controls plan, the food defense plan, the food fraud plan (SQF), training and personal hygiene |
The two programs score differently:
| Program and result | Score | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Below 70 | No certificate |
| cGDP: Excellent, Good or Complies | 90–100, 80–89 or 70–79 | Certified; audit every year |
| cGDP: Fails | Below 70 | No certificate |
Under Edition 9, SQF deducts 1 point for a minor nonconformity, 5 for a major and 50 for a critical; cGDP deducts 1%, 5% and 100%.
Under Edition 9, minor and major nonconformities are closed within 30 calendar days, with root cause analysis; Edition 10 allows 40.
Corrective actions aren't required to receive the cGDP certificate, but repeat nonconformities can be upgraded at the next audit.
SQF requires at least one unannounced audit in every three years. The cGDP standard has no unannounced audit rule.
For the programs in general, see our SQF certification and cGDP certification pages.
FDA's rules for food warehouses cover registration, storage conditions, temperature control for packaged food, sanitary transportation and traceability; USDA adds registration for meat and poultry warehouses. There's no general federal numeric storage temperature for refrigerated food in warehouses: the rules call for adequate temperature control, and the FDA Food Code's 41°F limit is written for restaurants and other food establishments. Certification sits alongside these rules and doesn't replace them.
| Rule | What it means for you | Where certification fits |
|---|---|---|
| FDA food facility registration | Facilities that hold food, including warehouses and cold storage, must register with FDA (21 CFR 1.225; holding facilities are defined in 1.227) unless exempt, for example a facility regulated only by USDA throughout (1.226(g)). Renew every other year between October 1 and December 31 of even-numbered years (1.230); the 2026 window closes December 31, 2026. | Certification isn't registration |
| FDA warehousing rule (21 CFR 117.93) | Store and transport food under conditions that protect against allergen cross-contact, contamination and deterioration of the food and its container (117.93). | Both programs audit these conditions |
| Storage of packaged food (117.7 and 117.206) | A facility solely engaged in storing unexposed packaged food is exempt from the hazard analysis and supply-chain subparts (117.7). A site that also repacks (including recoup), opens cases or handles exposed food isn't solely storing, so the exemption may not apply. If the packaged food needs time and temperature control, the site must meet 117.206: temperature controls, monitoring, corrective actions, verification and records. | SQF still requires a food safety plan; cGDP has a HACCP module |
| Sanitary Transportation rule | Shippers, loaders, receivers and carriers of food have duties for vehicle sanitation and temperature control (21 CFR 1.900–1.934). Food fully enclosed in a container is outside the rule unless it needs temperature control for safety (1.904). For example, a shipper of food that needs temperature control must give the carrier an operating temperature in writing, unless it takes other measures the rule allows (1.908(b)(5)), and the loader must check that the refrigeration unit is ready, including pre-cooled if necessary. Businesses under an inflation-adjusted revenue cut-off ($686,476 in 2026) aren't covered. | SQF checks vehicles and refrigeration units before loading |
| Food Traceability Rule (FSMA 204) | Under the rule implementing section 204 of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), warehouses and distributors holding foods on FDA's Food Traceability List must keep receiving and shipping key data elements and give FDA records within 24 hours of a request (21 CFR 1.1300–1.1465). Transporters are exempt. FDA has said it won't enforce the rule before July 20, 2028. | Both programs test traceability, but certification isn't FSMA 204 compliance |
| USDA FSIS registration | Public warehouses that store meat or poultry products in commerce, and meat or poultry wholesalers, must register with USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service on Form 5020-1 within 90 days of starting the business (9 CFR 320.5 and 381.179). | Not part of a certification audit |
| Seafood and shell eggs | FDA's seafood HACCP rule defines processing to include storing and holding fish (21 CFR 123.3), and consumer-packed shell eggs must be stored and transported at an ambient temperature of 45°F or below (9 CFR 590.50). | Check these rules for your products |
We're not a regulator: Kiwa ASI doesn't register facilities, act for FDA or USDA, or confirm that you comply with these rules. State rules may add requirements, so check the states where you operate.
The official documents behind this page. SQF codes are on sqfi.com, the cGDP standard on asifood.com, BRCGS documents on brcgs.com and U.S. rules on eCFR and FDA's site. Check for updates before you rely on them.
Food warehouse certification costs an audit fee quoted for each site every year, plus, for SQF, SQFI's yearly site registration fee, plus your preparation. Audit time depends on the site's size and what it handles.
Paid to the certification body and quoted for each site: audit days, number of buildings and temperature zones, and travel. A cGDP audit takes at least one day.
Paid to SQFI each year: $650 for the Storage and Distribution code, or $800 if you're audited to two or more SQF codes (rates in effect since April 1, 2024).
Under Edition 9, SQFI lists $1,500 for the central site plus $50 per sub-site, with a minimum of 10 sub-sites, when low-risk satellite sites join a multi-site program.
Your team's time to write procedures and the food safety plan, train staff and keep records, plus any building, pest-proofing or temperature-monitoring upgrades.
Request a quote for audit pricing for your sites.
Nine steps from your first customer request to a certificate. Allow several months to build the system and keep records; cGDP needs at least 60 days of receiving and shipping records before the audit.
Find out whether each major customer needs GFSI recognition, which programs it accepts and by when.
Pick the program your customers accept (BRCGS Storage and Distribution, FSSC 22000, IFS Logistics, SQF Storage and Distribution or cGDP) and get the standard. For SQF, ask us whether your first audit will use Edition 9 or Edition 10.
List the sites, buildings, temperature zones and activities to certify, including transport, recoup or any repacking.
Compare your site with the standard and FDA's rules, for example using SQFI's checklist or the cGDP standard, and plan the fixes.
Write the food safety plan, receiving and shipping checks, temperature monitoring, pest prevention, sanitation, allergen, traceability and recall procedures.
Train warehouse staff and drivers on their tasks, and keep the records the standard calls for.
Trace a product one step back and one step forward, run a mock recall and audit your own system.
For SQF, register your site with SQFI and pay the fee; for any program, agree the audit date and scope with us.
Close SQF nonconformities on time (30 days under Edition 9, 40 under Edition 10), share your certificate with customers and recertify every year.
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 SQFI nor the cGDP standard requires these particular courses, but both require HACCP training from a qualifying provider: SQF practitioners need assessed HACCP training of at least two days (Edition 9), and cGDP's HACCP team leader and backup need a certificate from an International HACCP Alliance-approved course.
SQFI's course on building and running an SQF system to the Edition 10 code, taught live by an SQFI Certified Trainer.
16 contact hours · 4 half-days · Live online
Next date to be announced. Ask about upcoming dates
International HACCP Alliance (IHA)-accredited HACCP course, for the food safety plan SQF requires and cGDP's HACCP module.
16 contact hours · 4 half-days · Live online
Next date to be announced. Ask about upcoming dates
For warehouses and distributors holding Food Traceability List foods: map critical tracking events and key data elements.
1.5 days · Live online
Next date to be announced. Ask about upcoming dates
The BRCGS Global Standard for Storage and Distribution, for sites whose customers ask for BRCGS.
Live online
Next date to be announced. Ask about upcoming dates
Kiwa ASI offers GFSI-recognized and non-GFSI warehouse audits, so you can match the program to what your customers accept.
A GFSI-recognized SQF Storage and Distribution certificate or Kiwa ASI's non-GFSI cGDP audit, subject to auditor availability for your sites.
ASI Food Safety, LLC is accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) to ISO/IEC 17065 (ID 1222) for specific SQF Edition 9.0 codes, including Storage and Distribution.
BRCGS Storage and Distribution, FSSC 22000 version 6 category G and IFS Logistics through Kiwa group certification bodies, subject to auditor availability, plus DQMP audits for distribution centers serving McDonald's restaurants.
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 provide pest control, calibrate equipment, test food, register facilities or act for FDA or USDA.
Food warehouse certification is a third-party audit of a site that stores and distributes food, against a published standard such as the SQF Food Safety Code: Storage and Distribution or Kiwa ASI's cGDP Storage & Distribution audit. If the site meets the standard, the certification body issues a certificate, renewed with an audit every year.
No. Certification is a customer requirement. FDA requires food warehouses to register and to store food under conditions that protect it (21 CFR 117.93), and its sanitary transportation and traceability rules apply to many warehouses, but no U.S. law requires a certificate.
The one your customers accept. If they need GFSI recognition, GFSI recognizes six programs for storage and distribution, listed A to Z: BRCGS Storage and Distribution, Freshcare Supply Chain, FSSC 22000, IFS Logistics, PrimusGFS and SQF Storage and Distribution. Kiwa doesn't offer Freshcare; ask us about PrimusGFS. If they want a food safety audit without GFSI recognition, Kiwa ASI's cGDP audit fits.
SQF Storage and Distribution is GFSI-recognized; Kiwa ASI certifies it under its ANAB accreditation for Edition 9.0. cGDP is Kiwa ASI's own standard and isn't accredited or GFSI-benchmarked. Both cover pests, temperature control, sanitation, allergens and traceability, but they score differently, and cGDP adds a timed traceability exercise (under two hours) at every audit.
No. cGDP earns no credit toward SQF or any GFSI program. If a customer later asks for GFSI recognition, you'd certify to SQF Storage and Distribution or another GFSI program separately.
Yes. SQF's food sector category 26 covers distribution centers, warehouses and transport operators handling chilled, frozen and dry food. The code requires temperature monitoring at the warmest part of cold and chilled rooms (12.6.2.4).
Yes. Category 26 includes transport operators, and the code requires vehicles to be inspected before loading and refrigeration units to be set, checked and recorded (12.6.5.3 and 12.6.5.5).
They need a food safety plan. SQF Storage and Distribution's mandatory element 2.4.3 requires a documented, risk-based plan based on HACCP or preventive controls.
Recoup, repacking intact product such as building full cases from partial cases, stays within SQF Storage and Distribution. Assembling gift packs, kits or bulk products made elsewhere is food sector category 25 under the SQF Food Manufacturing code. Ask us before you apply if you repack, relabel or open product.
Partly. Under Edition 9, each main distribution center needs its own certificate, and low-risk satellite warehouses, hubs and cross-docks with the same storage conditions can join as multi-site sub-sites. SQF's Edition 10 multi-site rules don't list storage and distribution, so ask us how this will work for your sites.
SQFI says Edition 10 audits will start no earlier than January 2, 2027, depending on GFSI benchmarking. Until then, warehouses are audited to Edition 9. Kiwa ASI's ANAB accreditation covers Edition 9.0, so ask about our Edition 10 status, and which edition your first audit will use, when you request a quote.
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 below 70 is F (Fails to Comply), with no certificate.
cGDP starts at 100%, and each minor nonconformity deducts 1%, each major 5% and a critical 100%. Sites scoring 70% or higher are certified: Complies (70–79), Good (80–89) or Excellent (90–100). Two Excellent ratings in a row earn Superior.
SQF requires at least one unannounced audit in every three years. The cGDP standard has no unannounced audit rule.
Not a general federal number. FDA's rules call for adequate temperature control, and the FDA Food Code's 41°F limit is written for restaurants and other food establishments. Shell eggs are an exception: consumer-packed shell eggs must be stored and transported at an ambient (air) temperature of 45°F or below. Your customers and state rules may set limits.
Yes, unless an exemption applies. Facilities that hold food, including warehouses and cold storage, must register with FDA and renew every other year between October 1 and December 31 of even-numbered years; a facility regulated only by USDA throughout is exempt (21 CFR 1.226(g)). Warehouses storing meat or poultry for others also register with USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service.
Partly. A facility solely engaged in storing unexposed packaged food is exempt from the hazard analysis and supply-chain subparts of 21 CFR Part 117; a site that also repacks, opens cases or handles exposed food isn't solely storing. If the packaged food needs time and temperature control, the site must meet 21 CFR 117.206: temperature controls, monitoring, corrective actions, verification and records.
Often. It covers shippers, loaders, receivers and carriers of food in transportation operations. Food fully enclosed in a container is outside the rule unless it needs temperature control for safety, so warehouses shipping or receiving chilled, frozen or unpackaged food usually have duties, such as giving carriers an operating temperature in writing for food that needs temperature control. Businesses under an inflation-adjusted revenue cut-off ($686,476 in 2026) aren't covered.
Yes, for foods on FDA's Food Traceability List. Warehouses and distributors that hold them must keep receiving and shipping key data elements and give FDA records within 24 hours of a request. Transporters are exempt, and FDA has said it won't enforce the rule before July 20, 2028.
The audit fee is quoted for each site, based on audit days, buildings, temperature zones and travel. SQF sites also pay SQFI a registration fee each year: $650 for the Storage and Distribution code, or $800 for two or more SQF codes. Add your preparation time and any building or equipment upgrades.
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. Send us your current certificate and we'll check the timing and auditor availability.
Yes, through Kiwa group certification bodies, subject to auditor availability. Kiwa ASI is a listed U.S. office of Kiwa Agri Food (Kiwa Ltd, UKAS-accredited) for BRCGS Storage and Distribution, Issue 4. FSSC 22000 version 6 category G is available through Kiwa VERIN B.V., and Kiwa ASI is the U.S. office of Kiwa España for IFS Logistics.
Yes. Kiwa ASI performs DQMP audits for U.S. distribution centers that serve McDonald's restaurants, as a full audit or added to a BRCGS or SQF Storage and Distribution audit. See our DQMP audit page for details.
Not as a consultant: a certification body can't consult for the sites it certifies. Use the checklist on SQFI's Storage and Distribution code page, or the cGDP standard, to check your readiness, and ask your suppliers and advisers for help building the system.
Tell us about your sites, what you store, whether you transport food, which program your customers ask for and your current certification body. We'll check auditor availability and quote your SQF or cGDP audit.
ASI Food Safety, LLC is accredited by ANAB to ISO/IEC 17065 (ID 1222) for specific SQF Edition 9.0 codes, including Storage and Distribution, under its SQFI license. cGDP is Kiwa ASI's own audit standard and isn't accredited or GFSI-benchmarked. 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.