These three letters are a big deal in the food industry:
S-Q-F
SQF, for Safe Quality Food, is a program recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) to assure food safety and quality expectations and regulatory requirements.
Painters USA SQF familiarity
Food industry clients turn to Painters USA for services that support their systematic approach to maintenance and sanitation standards, such as:
- Inspecting, cleaning, and installing or refurbishing cove bases or sealing cracks and seams around columns, posts, beams, and perimeters.
- EPA- and USDA-approved dry-ice blasting to remove debris without creating secondary waste or chemical residue, since dry ice turns into a vapor. One such project involved work on a 50-foot tower used by a research organization for flammability tests.
- Antimicrobial coatings, rust control, and other services for cold storage facilities and wet processing areas, as well as tank and silo experience.
- Preventative maintenance to reduce unplanned downtime or safety incidents.
- Preparation for food safety inspections, as agents from USDA or other entities could potentially walk into a facility at any time.
Painters USA crews often work in conjunction with other contractors, like electricians working on plant equipment. This allows all of us to complete our work safely and on-time, especially when we are doing flooring work, which can impact many other maintenance tasks.
Support for every SQF certification level
SQF has three levels, and Painters USA support clients certified (or seeking certification) at any of them:
- Level 1: Small-medium food suppliers with low-risk food products and the certification entry point.
- Level 2: Businesses that work (or would like to work) with purveyors that require adherence to GFSI standards for high risk products, using the HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) method.
- Level 3: Large-scale producers, manufacturers, food packaging facilities and distributors taking additional steps to ensure consistent high quality.
Support for SQF audits and other inspections
SQF audits are mission-critical in food industry facilities of all types, from growers to processors to distribution sites, and all sizes. A good ranking ensures the trust of large national and global brands, which may prefer or require SQF certification to be part of their supply chain.
All food industry customers want to see clean, well maintained facilities from their suppliers and partners. It’s another sign of quality and an indicator of good service and business sustainability. It builds the trust and comfort needed to develop and maintain a solid, long-term relationship.
Along with meeting facility maintenance and sanitation requirements for the SQF program, Painters USA will help you be audit- and inspection-ready for other agencies and needs, like USDA and FDA regulations and FSMA (Food Safety Modernization Act) compliance.
Facility maintenance for SQF and other food industry needs
If you're a food industry business that is seeking SQF certification or striving to maintain it, keep Painters USA in mind for all your industrial cleaning, painting, coating, and concrete flooring services.
- Serving food industry clients in Illinois / Wisconsin / Indiana from our Chicagoland headquarters and Danville office, and in Texas / surrounding areas from our Dallas-Fort Worth office.
- Serving regional and national account locations in the lower 48 states for convenience, consistent outcomes that meet enterprise-wide standards and asset management needs, and vendor management goals.
Our SQF awareness and understanding will help you pass your audits and inspections and sustain your certification.