SQF Certification for Dairy & Ice Cream Processors

Yes. Dairy and ice cream plants are certified under SQF Food Sector Category 10, Dairy Food Processing, using the SQF Food Safety Code: Food Manufacturing and Module 11 (GMP for Processing of Food Products). SQFI lists milk and cream, butter, cottage cheese, sour cream, all forms of cheese, yogurt, ice cream and dried milk under FSC 10.

Ice cream is in FSC 10, Dairy Food Processing. FSC 16 (Ice, Drink and Beverage Processing) covers water ice and beverages, not ice cream. Ice cream plants use the same Food Manufacturing code as other dairy plants.

UHT and aseptic dairy products fall under FSC 15, Canning, UHT and Aseptic Operations, not FSC 10. FSC 10 covers pasteurized dairy. Both use the SQF Food Safety Code: Food Manufacturing, so a plant with both pasteurized and UHT lines can be audited to one code across both categories.

Yes. Dairy farms are FSC 1 and use the SQF Food Safety Code: Primary Animal Production (Module 5, Good Production Practices for farming of animal products). Processing plants that receive the milk use the Food Manufacturing code.

Under Edition 9, FSC 10 includes milk substitutes such as soymilk and tofu where the technology is essentially the same as dairy. Edition 10 moves milk substitutes to FSC 14, which now covers plant-based foods. SQFI doesn't name plant-based frozen desserts, so your certification body confirms the category when it sets your audit scope.

No. The PMO is a regulatory program enforced by state agencies for Grade "A" products. SQF is voluntary. The SQF code requires you to comply with the food law that applies to you, and your food safety plan must meet both Codex HACCP and any regulatory method you're required to follow. An SQF audit isn't a PMO rating or inspection.

No. Your SQF HACCP plan and FDA's food safety plan overlap, but Part 117 is a legal requirement with its own rules, including a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI). For Grade "A" products, PMO Appendix T makes the PMO plus plant-specific procedures your Part 117 food safety plan. Cheese, butter and ice cream fall under Part 117 directly.

Yes. Edition 9 clause 2.4.8 requires a risk-based environmental monitoring program for all food manufacturing processes and surrounding areas, with set organisms, sites and frequency, and results that are tracked and trended. Under Edition 10, 2.4.8 becomes a Core Clause, so findings there cost more points.

Pasteurization is normally a critical control point in your HACCP-based food safety plan. The auditor checks that critical limits are validated (2.4.3.11), that time and temperature are monitored and recorded, that deviations and corrective actions are documented, and that equipment is calibrated. A breakdown of control at a CCP can be a critical non-conformance.

Some cheeses are. The list includes fresh soft, soft unripened, soft ripened and semi-soft cheeses, and cheeses other than hard cheeses made from unpasteurized milk. Hard cheeses such as cheddar and parmesan, IMS-listed Grade "A" cottage cheese, ice cream, fluid milk, yogurt and butter aren't on it. FDA won't enforce the rule before July 20, 2028. See FSMA 204 training.

Send your current SQF certificate, your last recertification audit report (and any surveillance report), the status of any open non-conformances, and your products and Food Sector Categories. Kiwa ASI checks that the certificate is current and your FSC is in scope, reviews complaints and audit history, and confirms where you are in the certification cycle before quoting.

Edition 10 audits will begin no earlier than January 2, 2027, depending on GFSI benchmarking. Until Edition 10 is GFSI-recognized, Edition 9 is the only GFSI-recognized SQF program. Dairy stays in FSC 10, environmental monitoring becomes a Core Clause, and corrective actions get 40 days instead of 30.

Several, listed here A to Z. For dairy and ice cream processing (GFSI scope CI, processing of perishable animal products), GFSI recognizes BRCGS Food Safety, FSSC 22000, IFS Food and SQF, among others. Each customer decides which programs it accepts, and SQF is more common in the U.S. BRCGS Food Safety, FSSC 22000 (Version 6) and IFS Food certificates are issued by Kiwa group certification bodies, not by Kiwa ASI; ask us, and we'll check auditor coverage for your products before quoting. Each program's own scope rules decide whether your products are covered.

Yes, for the SQF Food Safety Code: Food Manufacturing, Edition 9. ASI Food Safety, LLC (Kiwa ASI) is licensed by SQFI and accredited by ANAB (accreditation ID 1222) to ISO/IEC 17065 for that code. SQFI places FSC 10 (and FSC 15 for UHT and aseptic lines) under that code, and ANAB's listing names codes, not food sector categories. SQF rules require an auditor registered with SQFI for your food sector category, or a registered auditor assisted by an SQFI-approved technical expert. Before we quote, we check whether we can meet that rule for your categories, and we'll tell you if we can't.

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.

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 one 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.

No. Kiwa ASI audits and issues SQF certificates; 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). The auditor reviews your results, such as pasteurization records, environmental swab results and water and ice tests, as part of the audit.