SQF and FSSC 22000 Certification for Beverages & Bottled Water

Choose a program your customers accept, because each customer decides which programs it takes. Both are GFSI-recognized, and both cover water, cleaning, glass and foreign matter, kill steps, allergens, labeling, food defense and food fraud. They differ in how the audit works, how findings are scored and who issues the certificate: SQF is a food safety code with a 100-point audit score and a recertification audit every 12 months, while FSSC 22000 is a management system scheme built on ISO 22000, with a three-year certificate, annual surveillance audits and no scores. Through Kiwa, SQF certificates come from Kiwa ASI, and FSSC 22000 certificates from a Kiwa group certification body licensed by Foundation FSSC.

Yes. They're separate programs with separate audits and certificates, so a plant can hold both if different customers ask for different programs.

SQF FSC 16 and FSSC 22000 category CIV. In SQF, bottled water falls under FSC 16: Ice, Drink, and Beverage Processing, which lists carbonated and non-carbonated waters and mineral water, under the SQF Food Safety Code: Food Manufacturing. In FSSC 22000, it falls under category CIV, processing of ambient stable products, which names drinking water.

No. In SQF, fresh and pasteurized juices are FSC 14, UHT juice is FSC 15, and dairy drinks are FSC 10 (UHT milk products FSC 15). In FSSC 22000, fresh juices are CII and chilled dairy drinks CI, while shelf-stable versions are CIV. Juice plants also follow FDA's juice HACCP rule (21 CFR Part 120).

Yes, in different categories. SQF lists ice under FSC 16, while FSSC 22000 puts frozen water-based products such as ice in CII. FDA regulates packaged ice in interstate commerce as a food that must be made under its current good manufacturing practices.

No federal law requires either one. Bottled water plants must meet FDA's rules, including 21 CFR Parts 117 and 129 and the standard of identity and quality in 21 CFR 165.110, whether or not they're certified, and FDA says some states require bottled water firms to be licensed annually. Certification is voluntary, though buyers may ask for GFSI-recognized certification.

No. FDA says some states require bottled water firms to be licensed annually, and that it has states perform some bottled water plant inspections under contract. SQF and FSSC 22000 certification is voluntary, and an audit isn't a regulatory inspection or a substitute for any license your state requires.

No. The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) says its members must submit to an annual, unannounced plant inspection by an independent third-party organization for compliance with the IBWA Model Code, and its Model Code doesn't say GFSI certification counts toward that inspection. Kiwa ASI doesn't carry out IBWA inspections.

Finished product: at least once a week for total coliform for each type of bottled water produced, and at least once a year for chemical, physical and radiological quality (21 CFR 129.80(g)). Source water: at least once a year for chemical contaminants and once every four years for radiological contaminants, plus weekly total coliform testing for sources other than a public water system (21 CFR 129.35(a)(3)). Plants using a public water system may substitute the system's results or compliance certificates, and other plants may reduce source testing under a documented state-issued waiver (129.35(a)(4)). Any coliform found means follow-up testing for E. coli, and test records are kept for at least two years.

Your water, from source to finished bottle, and the records behind it. In an SQF audit, that includes water supply, treatment and quality (11.5): potable water from a known clean source, backflow testing at least once a year where possible, treatment monitoring and residue checks, and microbiological analysis at least once a year. The auditor also looks at records such as source approval certificates and water test results, label checks for the water's identity, such as spring or mineral water, and glass breakage controls. FSSC 22000 covers water supply through its prerequisite programs. An audit isn't an FDA inspection, and certification isn't FDA approval.

Not unless it meets FDA's definition of sparkling bottled water. FDA says drinks labeled as containing sparkling water, seltzer water, soda water, tonic water or club soda are soft drinks. "Sparkling bottled water" is a separate defined name for water that, after treatment and possible replacement of carbon dioxide, has the same amount of carbon dioxide it had at the source (21 CFR 165.110(a)(2)(v)). Both are FSC 16 in SQF.

No. Kiwa ASI audits and certifies; it doesn't provide laboratory testing. SQF requires external testing to be done by laboratories accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 or an equivalent standard (2.4.4.2), FSSC 22000 requires competent laboratories (2.5.1), and your FDA testing frequencies apply whether or not you're certified. The auditor reviews your results as part of the audit.

Yes, if Part 120 applies to your product. Certification doesn't replace FDA's juice HACCP rule, which covers juice sold as such or used as an ingredient in beverages (21 CFR 120.1(a)). The HACCP plan must achieve at least a 5-log reduction of the pertinent microorganism, with exemptions such as juice made under the low-acid canned or acidified food rules, and whoever develops the hazard analysis and HACCP plan, verifies or modifies it, or reviews its records needs training in applying HACCP to juice processing at least equivalent to an FDA-recognized standardized curriculum, or equivalent job experience (120.13). At a plant that must comply with Part 120 and does, those activities are exempt from Part 117's preventive controls and supply-chain program requirements (subparts C and G); its current good manufacturing practices still apply.

If they're low-acid or acidified foods, yes. A low-acid food has a finished equilibrium pH above 4.6 and a water activity above 0.85 (alcoholic beverages are excluded). A plant that thermally processes low-acid foods in hermetically sealed containers, including aseptic systems, registers with FDA within 10 days of starting and files its scheduled processes, under 21 CFR 108.35 and Part 113. A plant making acidified foods also registers and files a scheduled process for each acidified food in each container size (21 CFR 108.25 and Part 114), but carbonated beverages and foods stored, distributed and retailed under refrigeration aren't acidified foods (114.3(b)). In SQF, retorted and UHT products are FSC 15.

Yes, unless an exemption applies. Beverage, bottled water and packaged ice plants follow FDA's current good manufacturing practices (21 CFR Part 117, subpart B) and its hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls (subpart C). Juice activities covered by Part 120 are exempt from subparts C and G at a plant that complies with Part 120, and activities subject to Part 113, at a plant that must comply with Part 113 and does, are exempt from them only for the microbiological hazards Part 113 regulates. Part 117 has no bottled water exemption.

When it reaches 0.5% alcohol by volume or more at any point in production. The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) says kombucha that reaches 0.5% alcohol or more by volume at any time during production must be made on TTB-qualified premises and is subject to TTB regulation, even if the finished drink is below 0.5%. If it stays below 0.5% throughout production, it's a non-alcoholic beverage regulated by FDA; above that, FDA's current good manufacturing practices (21 CFR Part 117, subpart B) still apply (117.5(i)). In SQF, both fall under FSC 16.

It depends on the company, so ask your customer. As published examples, The Coca-Cola Company says its operating requirements require its manufacturing facilities to implement FSSC 22000 (Coca-Cola), and PepsiCo says it expects its ingredient suppliers to achieve certification to a GFSI-recognized standard or demonstrate equivalence through a PepsiCo pre-approval audit scheme (PepsiCo). Requirements for co-packers and suppliers can differ from those statements.

How you keep glass out of processing areas and manage breakage. Glass and similar materials aren't permitted in food processing and contact zones, except as product packaging, glass dial covers on measuring instruments, or MIG thermometers required by regulation, and any glass that's required there must be listed in a glass inventory with its location and condition (11.7.3.2). The auditor looks for regular inspections, inspection of glass instrument covers at the start of each shift, and isolating, cleaning, inspecting and clearing any breakage area before production restarts (11.7.3.3–11.7.3.5). FSSC 22000 also requires procedures for managing breakages and a risk assessment for foreign body detection equipment (2.5.11).

Yes, in both programs. SQF requires a risk-based environmental monitoring program for all food manufacturing processes, with a sampling and testing schedule and trending of results (2.4.8). FSSC 22000 requires a risk-based program for pathogens, spoilage and indicator organisms, with trend analysis and at least an annual review, for food manufacturing (2.5.7).

Kiwa ASI delivers FSSC 22000 certification in the United States as part of the Kiwa group. Certificates are issued by a Kiwa group certification body licensed by Foundation FSSC and accredited to ISO/IEC 17021-1 and ISO 22003-1. Training is delivered separately from certification. For the scheme in full, see our FSSC 22000 certification page.

For SQF, Kiwa ASI is accredited for the code beverage plants use. ASI Food Safety, LLC (Kiwa ASI) is licensed by SQFI and accredited by ANAB (accreditation ID 1222) to ISO/IEC 17065 for specific SQF Edition 9 codes, including the SQF Food Safety Code: Food Manufacturing, which SQF uses for FSC 16 beverages, bottled water and ice. ANAB's listing names codes, not food sector categories, so accreditation alone doesn't confirm we can audit your category: SQF rules require an auditor registered with SQFI for your food sector category, or a registered auditor assisted by an SQFI-approved technical expert, and before we quote, we check whether we can meet that rule and tell you if we can't. For FSSC 22000, certificates are issued by a Kiwa group certification body licensed by Foundation FSSC.

Every calendar year. An FSSC 22000 certificate lasts three years, with a surveillance audit every calendar year and a recertification audit before it expires, and at least one surveillance audit in each three-year cycle is unannounced. A full audit takes at least 2 days (1.5 days for some very small sites), and there are no grades or scores. Through Kiwa, certificates are issued by a Kiwa group certification body licensed by Foundation FSSC.

Every 12 months. Recertification audits fall within 30 days either side of the anniversary of the last day of your initial certification audit. Sites rated C – Complies (70–85) under Edition 9 also get a surveillance audit at six months, and at least one recertification audit every three years is unannounced and fully on-site.

Edition 9, for now. 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. GFSI opened its public consultation on Edition 10 on September 29, 2026. A single audit won't mix requirements from both editions, and a surveillance audit that follows an Edition 9 audit stays on Edition 9, even if it falls after Edition 10 audits begin. Kiwa ASI's ANAB accreditation currently covers specific SQF Edition 9 codes, so ask which edition your first audit will use, and about our Edition 10 status, when you request a quote.

Yes, if we can meet SQF's auditor registration rule for your food sector categories, which we check before we quote. Under Edition 9, you can change to another SQFI-licensed certification body after one certification cycle (the annual period between certification audits), once all non-conformances are closed, as long as the certificate isn't suspended or under threat of suspension or withdrawal. If a surveillance audit is due, change after it. Your certification number, recertification date and unannounced audit schedule carry over, and your current certificate stays valid until it expires. Once Edition 10 applies (no earlier than January 2, 2027), you can switch after your certificate is issued and before your next audit window opens. Kiwa ASI's ANAB accreditation currently covers specific SQF Edition 9 codes, so ask us about Edition 10 status before you plan an Edition 10 transfer. Send your current certificate and your last recertification and surveillance audit reports.

Plan on at least four to five months from the day your system starts producing records, and longer if you're building it from scratch. SQFI recommends at least 90 days of records before the certification audit, the audit takes at least two days, non-conformances must be closed within 30 days, and SQF gives the certification body up to 45 days after the audit to make its certification decision. The biggest variables are whether a HACCP plan and environmental monitoring program already exist.

First-year cost can range from about $6,000 for a small, well-prepared site to $25,000 or more for a larger plant that needs outside help and upgrades. These are estimates only; your audit fee depends on the audit duration your certification body calculates. The first-year total includes the audit fee (roughly $4,500–$9,000+), SQFI registration ($650 for the Food Manufacturing code, capped at $800 for two or more codes), training, any outside help and any facility upgrades.

70 out of 100 under Edition 9, with no non-conformances left outstanding. Every audit starts at 100 points; each minor non-conformance deducts 1 point, each major 5 and each critical 50. A score of 70–85 (C – Complies) adds a six-month surveillance audit, and a score below 70 or any critical non-conformance fails an initial audit.