The UK’s major food buyers are responding to a growing appetite for local and regional food with help from a food safety standard aimed at small and micro-sized producers.
More than 750 buyers from supermarkets, food service companies and catering suppliers have now signed up to the Safe And Local Supplier Scheme (SALSA) including Waitrose, Asda, Sainsbury’s and 3663.
The scheme, launched in 2007, is an independent guarantee for buyers that the producers have met industry approved standards of food safety, legality and quality.
Buyers now have access to a database of 341 producers who have progressed to become fully approved SALSA businesses meeting a range of standards. That number is expected to grow to around 500 in the next 12 months.
More buyers and suppliers will be recruited at the SALSA stand at the Speciality and Fine Food Fair, the leading trade event for local, regional and artisan food and drink staged at the London Olympia from September 5 to 7. Visitors will also have the opportunity to try samples from approved producers.
The scheme is a joint venture between the four main trade associations representing the UK food chain – the NFU, Food and Drink Federation, British Hospitality Association and British Retail Consortium. Buyers can register with SALSA and search the directory for free. Producer annual membership is £50 and the first year audit fee is £450.
Case study – Relishing new opportunities
Hawkshead Relish, which makes artisan preserves in Cumbria, is one of those small producers to benefit from SALSA membership.
Ten years ago co-owners Mark and Maria Whitehead produced just six products which they sold to local Lakeland businesses. Since signing up to SALSA in 2007 the company now supplies a range which includes more than 100 handmade lines to independent retailers around the country.
Maria Whitehead said: “Speciality retailers are committed to seeking products that are of optimum quality in taste, ethos and look. However, we have found that by assuring them of the quality, care and traceability recognised with SALSA approval provides an additional guarantee of the excellence of our innovative range as well as our superior credentials.
“Without SALSA we would not have been able to win a number of accounts that denote this endorsement as essential criteria to accepting our products.”
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