Once GlobalSTD has been selected by your organization to conduct the certification process, the contract must be entered and signed by both parties.

The pre-audit will be considered as an optional event (not official), and the processes to be audited will be agreed upon by the certification body and the organization. This seeks to replicate a sample of the certification process (tour of the facilities, document review, and interview of the personnel,) which will show the general level of implementation of the management system.
The times and processes are estimated by both parties, and it is advisable that the auditor days assigned to that event do no exceed 80% of the total days calculated for the certification audit.

Our objective is to evaluate the level of documentation of the system based on the applicable standard, and make sure that the requirements have been considered by the client. This event is official for the certification process. Any non-conformity that is detected in this stage must be solved by the client before the Stage 2.

Once all non-conformities of Stage 1 have been closed, GlobalSTD will evaluate the level of the system’s implementation based on the applicable standard. The audit will be conducted by interviewing the people involved in the processes, and validating the evidence of implementation. All major non-conformities found during this stage shall be closed and verified before the certificate can be issued.

The time assigned for the event is calculated based on international tables approved by the IAF (International Accreditation Forum), considering: The size of the organization, the number of employees, the scope of the certification, and the applicable standard. All minor non-conformities found during this stage shall be closed before the certificate can be issued.

GlobalSTD will issue an official certificate no later than 4 months after the client has closed all pending con-conformities. Once the certificate has been delivered, the name of the organization will appear on the list of “Certified Companies” on our website: www.globalstd.com and, if applicable, on the international website of the FSSC 22000 Foundation: www.fssc22000.com, or on the international website of the SQF institute www.sqfi.com

* The issued certificate will be valid for three years and valid for a year in SQF.

The certificates we issue under ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 22000, and ISO 37001 bear the international ANAB logotypes (ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board of USA) and that of IAF (International Accreditation Forum).

The food-safety certificates that maintain the traceability pursuant to the requirements of the GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative) bear the international stamps of FSSC 22000 or SQF, as the case may be.

For this event, the objective of GlobalSTD is to evaluate the continuity and compliance of the system pursuant to the applicable standard. To do so, a partial sample of the main processes of the organization is taken, always auditing the processes of transformation and the points related to the management system (document and records control, corrective and preventive actions, non-compliant products, management reviews, and internal audits, among others). The minimum time allocated to these events is calculated based on one third of the total time assigned to the certification process (Stage 1 + Stage 2).

Surveillance audits are a viable option to extend or reduce the scope of certification. To do it, the account executive must be previously consulted to re-calculate the necessary time depending on the activities that want to be included or excluded.

The certification body and the client must agree on whether the surveillance audit will take place annually or biannually for the benefit of the system. An international requirement states that it is mandatory that the organization host a surveillance audit at least once a year. The scheduling of these events will take the audit (Stage 2) as a starting date, and the deadline will be the day on which the certification decision is made.

*Any untimely dates may result in the suspension of the certificate.
(For more information, please consult your Account Executive).

During this audit, the system’s effectiveness regarding the applicable standard’s requirements, as well as its performance over the 3 years of certification, are evaluated. This audit must take place before the certificate expires. The result of the event must be satisfactory, and all major non-conformities found in this stage must be closed and verified before the certificate can be issued to renew the three-year validity.

The minimum time allocated for this event is calculated based on two thirds of the total time spent in the certification process (Stages 1 and 2). Once the event has been successfully conducted, a new certificate is issued with a 3-year validity, and a 1-year validity for SQF (other factors apply for this program’s time calculation).

*If the organization wishes to include or exclude some of the scope’s activities, it is best to mention it before getting the new quote for the following certification cycle.

Transition audits are “special” events, as they assess new requirements that must be reviewed at specific times to verify the organization’s compliance. It is recommended to have this audit during a surveillance or re-certification audit. You should contact your Commercial Executive to review the time calculations that correspond to the audit that will take place.

*Please keep in mind that version 5.1 is now effective, and that this section’s audit is mandatory as of January 1st, 2018.

If you wish to extend the scope of a certificate, it is recommended to do so during the surveillance or re-certification audits. If this has become necessary for your organization, you may request as special event. To do this, please request a quote where some aspects will be calculated anew, including the range of employees, the risk levels, and time allocations, among others.

Also, the scope reductions may take place during surveillance and re-certification audits when desired by the client, as long as this is informed to the assigned audit team.

A certificate can be suspended for several reasons or very specific unfulfillments. See more on this process HERE.

The withdrawal of a certificate can be the result of an unsolved suspension or a technical situation that lead to this measure, such as Class 1 Recall (See Recall Classifications).

TRANSITION SQF Version 8.1 to SQF Version 9

GlobalGAP 5.4-1GFS, applicable only for fruits and vegetables; combinable crops and propagation material continue in previous versions.