TQF Certification Program is an accredited third-party product food safety and quality certification program. It provides the specifications and operational requirements for hygiene, safety, and quality, the third-party certification requirements and management of certification bodies that assure stakeholders’ commitment to the integrity, safety, and quality of the food they supply. It is developed by government, industry, academic and research experts from the Taiwan food industry to promote the sound development of the Taiwan food industry and ensure the right of consumers in Taiwan.
TQF Certification Program Video
To strengthen the TQF Certification related requirements in align with international standards, the Total Quality Food Certification Program (herein referred to as TQF Program) is revised to the "TQF Certification Program Version 2023" which consists of "Program Management" and "Certification Standard".
Program Management: It incorporates the certification process and the management requirements for certification program owners, accreditation bodies, certification bodies, certification personnel, and program development and maintenance.
Certification Standard: It is based on the framework of international certification programs. New provisions of "General Requirement" and "Technical Guideline" are added as parts of the Certification Standard, and the original 28 General Technical Specifications of the TQF Certification Program are retained as Manual, which are used as the normative reference document for TQF Certification Program.
General Requirement: It is a principled regulatory requirement, and it is used by auditors to detect non-conformities. It follows GFSI Part III requirements as the main structure.
Technical Guideline: It is an extended explanation of the General Requirement, which incorporated requirements of the original TQF Certification Program. Therefore, food factories must also comply with these requirements.
Manual: It is a more detailed normative reference document for General Requirement and Technical Guideline. Its contents include the original General Technical Specification, the 27 Specific Technical Specifications of the TQF certification program, as well as Specifications and Standards Standards for Product Test Items of each category.
The TQF Certification Program takes a scientifically based approach to identifying and controlling hazards that threaten food safety and quality. In doing so, it differentiates between the identification and control of food safety hazards and the management of product quality.
The TQF Certification Program provides two levels of certification:
TQF Certification Program Level 1 (herein referred to as "TQF L1"): It requires food factories to document and implement a food safety management system as outlined in the TQF L1 requirements including Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP), and Food Safety Management (FSM), and to be successfully assessed and certified by a TQF contracted and accredited certification body.
TQF Certification Program Level 2 (herein referred to as "TQF L2"): It requires food factories that are already certified to TQF L1 to document and implement an integrated Quality Management Plan (QMP) and to be successfully assessed and certified by a TQF contracted and accredited certification body. TQF L2 includes on-site product sampling and testing.