Food Safety Certification
Jared Clark, food safety consultant at Certify Consulting, compares BRC, SQF, and HACCP by certification body, scope, industries, audit frequency, and cost — so you can choose the right certification for your buyer requirements, not the wrong one.
| Area | BRC (BRCGS) | SQF | HACCP |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | GFSI food safety & quality standard | GFSI food safety & quality standard, 3 tiers | Food safety methodology (7 principles) |
| Certification body | Accredited BRCGS-approved certification bodies | SQF Institute-licensed certification bodies | Not independently certifiable on its own; verified as part of other standards |
| Primary geography | Strongest in UK/EU retail | Strongest in North American retail | Universal — required baseline everywhere |
| Industries | Food manufacturing, packaging, storage & distribution | Food manufacturing, primary production, storage & distribution | Any food manufacturer or handler |
| Audit frequency | Annual (unannounced options available) | Annual | N/A — embedded in facility's ongoing food safety plan |
| Typical cost range | $15,000–$40,000 implementation + audit fees | $12,000–$35,000 implementation + audit fees | $5,000–$15,000 as a standalone plan |
Many facilities need more than one certification — a supplier serving both a European retailer and a US grocery chain may need BRC for one contract and SQF for another, both built on the same underlying HACCP plan and quality management system. A multi-standard consultant builds the documentation once and layers each standard's specific requirements on top, rather than maintaining duplicate systems for each certification. That's a meaningfully different (and cheaper) path than hiring a single-standard specialist for each certificate separately.
The decision usually isn't really yours to make in isolation — it's driven by your buyer's supplier requirements. Check your retailer contract or vendor packet first; most name a specific GFSI-recognized standard (BRC or SQF) rather than leaving it open. HACCP is not typically an either/or choice against BRC or SQF — it's the food safety foundation both standards require you to have in place regardless of which one you pursue.