SQFI

Glossary - Edition 10

This glossary contains terms that are used throughout SQF Codes, guidance documents, tip sheets, checklists and more. Please refer to them for clarification.

The below is applicable to Edition 10 and posted March, 2026.
Translations are provided as a service to SQF customers and are provided "as is." No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, or correctness of any translations made from English into any other language.

Unannounced Audit

Feb 19, 2026, 18:40
Title : Unannounced Audit
A re-certification audit that is conducted once every three (3) years and thirty (30) days on either side the initial certification anniversary date without prior notice to the SQF certified site. The first three-year cycle commences with the sites' first re-certification audit date. Thereafter, there is an unannounced audit every three years. A site may forgo the three-year certification cycle requirement and voluntarily elect to have annual unannounced re-certification audits. Sites with annual unannounced re- certification audits shall be recognized an “SQFI select site” (refer to “SQF select site”).
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