STC HACCP & GMP Food Safety Certification Standard

Certification runs on a three-year cycle. It begins with a two-stage initial audit (a readiness review, then a full on-site assessment against the standard), followed by an annual surveillance audit and a recertification audit in year three.

The scope of each certificate defines the sites, products and processes covered — the same clarity of scope that online marketplaces, including Amazon, look for when reviewing a food or supplement seller’s food-safety documentation.

Findings are classified as critical, major or minor. Majors must be closed with objective evidence within 28 days; minors follow an agreed corrective-action plan verified at the next audit. A critical or an unresolved major prevents certification — keeping the mark meaningful for customers and marketplaces alike.

Certified sites may use the STC certification badge on business documents, websites and marketing — useful supporting evidence when demonstrating Good Manufacturing Practice to retailers and to Amazon for food and supplement listings.

• The badge is a controlled certification mark, not a corporate logo, and every claim must be verifiable.
• Any on-pack reference is a facility claim, not a product endorsement, and may be used only while the certificate is valid and only for sites, products and processes within the certified scope.
• A single permitted on-pack statement is used, linked to the online verification register by QR code: “Manufactured in a facility certified to the STC HACCP & GMP Standard. Verify: [QR].”
• Certification claims are kept off consumer retail packaging unless a specific scope clause allows it, to avoid implying a product-level endorsement.

Every certificate carries a unique STC-issued number and a QR code that resolves to a public verification page showing the holder, scope, certifying body, status and expiry. This lets customers, retailers and marketplace teams — including Amazon reviewers checking a food or supplement seller — confirm a certificate is genuine and current in seconds.

The standard applies across the food supply chain. A defined scope determines which requirements apply, so non-manufacturing sites such as agents, brokers and storage operators are assessed proportionately — while a documented HACCP-based food safety plan is expected in every case. This flexibility suits the wide range of food and supplement businesses selling through Amazon and other channels.

Certification decisions are made by competent personnel independent of the audit, under documented safeguards for impartiality and confidentiality, consistent with ISO/IEC 17021-1 and ISO/IEC 17065. Independent governance is what gives a food-safety certificate credibility with retailers and online marketplaces, Amazon included.

The standard is reviewed and revised from time to time. Certification is held against the current issue, and each certified site is expected to meet the current issue by the time of its next audit — so the assurance behind your food and supplement products stays up to date for the marketplaces you sell on.