The SALSA Scheme was launched in 2007 to provide small and micro food and drink businesses with a more appropriate alternative to the BRC food safety certification standard.
The SALSA audit standard is specifically tailored to the production scale and operating framework of small businesses, and membership offers integrated training and resource packages to assist businesses through the process. In addition to the core SALSA Standard, the scheme offers three additional standards; SALSA plus Cheese, SALSA plus Beer, and a dual audit for those also wishing to be certified Soil Association Organic.
SALSA has put affordability and accessibility at the heart of its model, offering ‘cost aware’ rates on regional HACCP and Food Labelling training as well as mentoring to strengthen support for small businesses. Today, the scheme’s reach, with a UK-wide auditing team of 63, extends to Scotland’s Highlands & Islands, the Channel Islands, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man.
SALSA’s first approved site in England (2007) was Shropshire-based Gill’s Puddings – a manufacturer of handcrafted desserts and sauces which have successfully maintained their approval for 10 years. Director Kim Smith comments, ‘SALSA approval has been fantastic for the business; it has not only provided us with confidence in what we make, but has enabled us to secure contracts with national contract caterers, restaurants, hotels and even Premiership football clubs!’
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Facilitating access to retailers
'Created by the industry, for the industry,' SALSA gives smaller local producers the opportunity to tap into lucrative new markets, as retailers look to capitalise on the growing trend for locally-sourced food.
The Scheme’s buyers list has grown year on year with over 900 registered UK buyers including Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Westbury Street Holdings, Compass and the NHS now able to access local and specialist products and certification details for SALSA-approved sites at the touch of button.
Sally Ball, SALSA Marketing & Client Relations, says, ‘SALSA was established to provide an essential link in the UK’s food safety chain, at a time when consumer tastes and safety expectations were diversifying, fusing and refining, with dietary requirements coming to the fore. The appetite for safe and local food was here to stay. What small producers needed was a food security pathway and access to buyers, both of which SALSA provides.’
Scheme Founder Chris Grimes adds, ‘SALSA gives small producers the chance to show what they are made of; they bring enterprise, flair and flexibility to the table – with products buyers look for to add lustre to their portfolio. SALSA certification is proof that the UK’s small producers are able to meet every quality, safety and legality requirement justly demanded of them.’
For more information on how the SALSA scheme can work for you, click here, or contact the SALSA Helpline on 01295 724 248.