The Rising Threat of Intentional Adulteration

In an increasingly globalized and vulnerable food supply, threats don’t just come from microbial hazards or mislabeling errors—they also come from intentional acts of harm or deception. That’s why the Safe Quality Food (SQF) Code places a clear and growing emphasis on both Food Defense and Food Fraud Prevention.

Unlike traditional food safety controls that focus on unintentional hazards, these two programs focus on deliberate threats—whether for ideological, economic, or opportunistic reasons. As such, SQF requires facilities to adopt proactive, risk-based programs that identify vulnerabilities and implement system-wide preventive measures.

What SQF Requires for Food Defense

Under SQF, your Food Defense Plan must go beyond a policy statement. It must be a formal, documented, and tested strategy that includes:

• Risk assessments of all access points and sensitive areas
• Procedures to limit unauthorized access to production, ingredient storage, and finished goods
• Visitor and contractor management controls
• Tamper-evident seals, locks, and surveillance systems
• Employee training on suspicious behavior reporting
• Periodic testing and review of the food defense plan

SQF auditors expect to see vulnerability assessments specific to your facility—not generic templates—and clear evidence that the plan has been tested or challenged.

Pro Tip: Align your food defense program with regulatory frameworks like the FDA’s Intentional Adulteration Rule (IA Rule) to strengthen compliance across markets.

What SQF Requires for Food Fraud Prevention

Food Fraud refers to the intentional substitution, dilution, misrepresentation, or tampering of food or ingredients for economic gain. Common fraud risks include adulterated oils, misrepresented species (e.g., seafood), and bulk ingredients like spices, honey, or juice concentrates.

SQF-certified facilities are required to develop and maintain a Food Fraud Vulnerability Assessment and Mitigation Plan that includes:

• Raw material risk assessment based on fraud history, sourcing region, and supply chain transparency
• Supplier documentation and authenticity testing protocols
• Ingredient specifications with verification points
• Corrective actions for suspected or confirmed fraud events
• Ongoing review and supplier re-evaluation based on emerging fraud trends

Actionable Tip: Use resources like the Decernis Food Fraud Database or RASFF Portal to keep up with known fraud incidents and high-risk ingredients globally.

Integrating Food Defense and Fraud into the Broader SQF System

These programs are not standalone—they must be embedded into your facility’s food safety culture and linked to procurement, supplier verification, and training systems. Consider the following:

• Include food defense and fraud topics in supplier questionnaires and audits
• Train receiving teams to spot red flags (e.g., altered documents, inconsistent labels, changes in appearance or texture)
• Conduct mock scenarios to test employee readiness for both security breaches and economically motivated adulteration events
• Establish internal escalation protocols so frontline concerns reach decision-makers fast

Pro Insight: Facilities with strong cross-functional collaboration—especially between procurement, QA, and security—are consistently more resilient to intentional threats.

Auditor Expectations: Evidence Over Intention

SQF auditors will evaluate:

• Whether the facility has conducted recent vulnerability assessments (and whether they’ve acted on findings)
• Employee understanding of suspicious activity reporting protocols
• Use of traceability, supplier documentation, and third-party validation to mitigate fraud risks
• Mock incident drills and results

SQF Edition 10 is expected to increase focus on how these systems are not only documented—but operationalized and reviewed.

How Registrar Corp Helps Facilities Strengthen Protection

Registrar Corp’s training and consulting services help facilities:

• Develop site-specific food defense and fraud mitigation programs
• Implement effective vulnerability assessments with measurable outputs
• Train staff across all levels in intentional contamination awareness
• Strengthen alignment with FSMA, GFSI, and international regulatory expectations

We equip facilities with customizable tools to go beyond minimum compliance—ensuring a more secure, credible, and audit-ready operation.

Final Takeaway: Protecting More Than Product

When it comes to food defense and fraud prevention, your systems are only as strong as their weakest link. SQF-certifiedfacilities must think beyond food safety—toward brand protection, consumer confidence, and global supply chain transparency.

These programs represent a critical evolution of food safety—where risk isn’t just what you can see, but what you may not be expecting. Your preparedness can determine not only your audit outcome, but your reputation in the market.