SQF Certification for Pet Food & Animal Feed Manufacturers

Yes. The SQF Food Safety Code: Pet Food Manufacturing covers Food Sector Category 32, which SQFI describes as including dry and moist pet foods and treats, and semi-raw, chilled or frozen product. It combines the Module 2 System Elements with Module 4, Good Manufacturing Practices for Processing of Pet Food Products.

Yes. The SQF Food Safety Code: Animal Feed Manufacturing covers Food Sector Category 34, the manufacture, blending, transport and storage of animal feeds, including compounded and medicated feeds. It combines the Module 2 System Elements with Module 3, Good Manufacturing Practices for animal feed.

Yes. SQFI lists both Edition 9 codes as GFSI-benchmarked. Pet food falls under GFSI scopes CI to CIV as applicable, and feed under scope D, Production of Feed. Edition 10 is in GFSI benchmarking, with a public consultation that opened on September 29, 2026. Until it's recognized, Edition 9 is SQF's only GFSI-recognized edition.

Either FSC 32 (Pet Food Manufacturing code) or FSC 15 (Canning, UHT and Aseptic Operations, audited to the Food Manufacturing code), depending on your process. SQFI's category tables conflict: FSC 32 says it "does not include canned pet food (refer to FSC 15)," while FSC 15 lists canned pet food with "refer to FSC 32." Your certification body confirms the category and code with you when it sets your audit scope.

Not always. The Animal Feed code says sites that only make animal feed, and don't make, handle or store food or pet food, don't need an allergen management plan unless regulation or a customer requires one. The Pet Food code requires control of human allergens and validated changeovers for claims such as grain-free.

The Animal Feed code has a dedicated clause, 3.4.2 Animal Feed Medication. Medications must come from an approved supplier, be added according to label instructions, be restricted to trained and authorized staff, be tracked in an inventory with proof of purchase, and be disposed of correctly. FDA's medicated feed rules in 21 CFR Part 225 apply as well.

No. SQF certification is voluntary. The legal requirements are FDA's Preventive Controls for Animal Food rule (21 CFR Part 507), FDA's labeling, medicated feed and BSE feed rules, and state feed laws. A retailer, brand owner or integrator may still ask its pet food and feed suppliers for GFSI-recognized certification such as SQF.

No. 21 CFR Part 507 is a legal requirement with its own rules, including, for most facilities, a written food safety plan prepared or overseen by a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI). An SQF HACCP plan overlaps heavily with it, and the SQF code requires you to comply with the food and feed law that applies to you, but certification doesn't exempt you from Part 507.

No. The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) says it does not regulate, test, approve or certify pet food. It writes model laws, regulations and ingredient definitions that states can adopt. State feed control officials enforce those rules, and FDA enforces federal animal food law.

Yes. In both Edition 9 codes, clause 2.4.8 requires a risk-based environmental monitoring program, with set organisms, sites and frequency, and results that are tracked and trended. In the Edition 10 Pet Food code, environmental monitoring becomes a Core Clause, so findings there cost more points.

No. FDA says foods for animals are not included on the Food Traceability List, so the Food Traceability Rule doesn't cover them. SQF certification still requires product identification, traceability and recall testing under clause 2.6.

In January 2025, FDA required cat and dog food manufacturers covered by Part 507 that use uncooked or unpasteurized materials from poultry or cattle to reanalyze their food safety plans to include H5N1 avian influenza as a known or reasonably foreseeable hazard. FDA suggested controls such as heat treatment or supply-chain controls. An SQF auditor will expect your hazard analysis to reflect it.

Several, listed here A to Z. For pet food and animal feed manufacturing (GFSI scope D, production of feed and pet food), GFSI recognizes FSSC 22000 and SQF (the Pet Food Manufacturing and Animal Feed Manufacturing codes), among others. Each customer decides which programs it accepts, and SQF is more common in the U.S. The Kiwa group certification body that issues FSSC 22000 certificates for Kiwa ASI clients doesn't currently cover animal feed or pet food (FSSC 22000 category D), so Kiwa ASI offers SQF for these sites. Each program's own scope rules decide whether your products are covered.

Yes, for the SQF Food Safety Code: Pet Food Manufacturing and the SQF Food Safety Code: Animal Feed 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 32 and FSC 34 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.

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 Pet Food or Animal Feed 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 Salmonella environmental and product tests, mycotoxin results and medication carryover checks, as part of the audit.