The certification scheme to meet the
due-diligence needs of national
buyers sourcing food from local
producers
Origins of SALSA
• Began with informal discussions in 2004
instigated by the BRC
• Need for a food safety standard for small
businesses where BRC Global Standard was too
‘big’ or too ’expensive’
• Mustn’t be ‘BRC lite’ and perceived as less
effective at delivering safe food to consumers
• Words to avoid were ‘cheaper’, ‘easier’
• Invited ‘stakeholders’ to input ideas
Initial stakeholders consulted
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Retailers
Foodservice
Food Manufacturers
Farmers
Food Standards Agency
DEFRA
Food From Britain
Food Technology Centres
Small Business Service
• NHS
• Chartered Institute of
Environmental Health
• Institute of Food science and
Technology
• IMPROVE ( Food & Drink
Sector Skills Council)
• Forum of Private Business
• University of Salford
Fundamentals
•
•
•
•
product safety
product legality
supplier and buyer due-diligence
appropriate to small businesses
Stakeholder vision
• should be a ‘scheme’ and not just another
standard
• must ‘add value’ to small businesses
• minimal costs but within a controlled framework
• managed by a professional, competent body
• if possible, provide additional services to small
businesses
Partners in Joint Venture
Scheme structure
• Ownership - a Contractual Joint Venture between the
four industry Partners
• Governance - a Council chaired by Lady Sylvia Jay of
Food from Britain
• Run as a not for profit scheme by the owners
• Scheme must become self-funding to be sustainable
• Scheme operations contracted to credible food industry
organisations
• IFST (with SFQC as partner for Scotland)
Scheme objective
• To provide the UK food industry with an
appropriate food safety certification
scheme for small and local producers that
is reliable, affordable and effective.
Scheme objective
• Reliable – a standard that is accepted buy the
UK food buying community as ‘fit for purpose’
and meeting their due-diligence needs.
• Affordable – reversing the current trend of
making ‘large’ company supply unaffordable to
‘small’ producers
• Effective – delivering tangible food safety
improvements for Suppliers and building the
confidence of Buyers
Operational requirements
• Needs to be a robust scheme accepted by national
buyers from the different purchasing sectors
• Must include a professional audit performed by a
credible body of independent auditors who can provide
sound technical guidance
• Must be a low-cost and affordable approval process for
small and local suppliers
• Scheme must become self-funding to be sustainable
• Must ensure the continued technical support of scheme
participants
SALSA 12 months ago
• Funding received from Scottish Food & Drink, Highlands
& Islands Enterprise in Scotland and DEFRA in England
• Scheme developed and tested
• Initial protocols and documents developed
• Partly functioning website developed
• SALSA launched at IFE in March 2007
• 14 successful pilot scheme participants in Scotland were
awarded certificates in March and April 2007
The first SALSA Certificate at IFE
Progress since launch
• 70 auditors and mentors trained
• Thirteen regional training events
• Sponsored by FSA and stakeholders
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–
–
–
–
–
SFQC
ASDA
Mitchells & Butlers
Elior
Sainsbury’s
3663
• Auditor’s website pages launched
• Additional protocols and documents developed
• Feedback from auditors and mentors collected
SALSA Auditor and Mentor Applicants October 2007-2008
100
90
80
70
Mentor
60
Auditor
50
Approved
40
30
20
10
0
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
SALSA at end of October 2008
1210 online registrations via website
• Suppliers
• Buyers
• Auditors/Mentors
812
318
87
SALSA Registrations October 2007- 2008
1400
1200
1000
Total Registered
800
Registered
Suppliers
600
Registered Buyers
400
200
0
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Suppliers at end of October 2008
•812 registered
• 349 members
•193 first audits
•30 annual audits
SALSA Members and Audits October 2007-2008
400
350
300
250
Total Membership
200
First Year Audits
150
Annual Audits
100
50
0
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Auditor & mentor approval
• IFST Register of Professional Food Auditors & Mentors
• Pre-requisite
• Demonstrates credible experience in given sectors
• Demonstrates auditor qualification and experience
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•
•
•
•
•
SALSA application form and declaration completed
Professional indemnity insurance certificate required
Attendance at a one-day training seminar
Annual registration to IFST - PFAM
Annual attendance of regional training seminar
No training fees in 2008 due to FSA sponsorship
Pricing policy from April 2008
• Supplier membership remains at £50
• First year audit increased to £450 (from £400)
• Membership includes access to web-based
information and resources and entry into SALSA
directory
• Audit fee includes cost of one audit, report and
publication of certificate in Suppliers directory
• Audit fee inclusive of local travel expenses
• Annual membership £500 (including audit fee)
Pricing policy from April 2008
• Buyers still have free access to website limited to
• News bulletins
• SALSA directory
• Mentor directory
• Buyers encouraged (or asked) to sponsor SALSA
• auditor & mentor regional training seminars etc
• participation in the Technical Committee
The SALSA website
• designed to facilitate buyer access to local producers
• designed to be simple and easy to use
• SALSA directory of suppliers and approval status
accessible to buyers
• provides some free downloadable information
• online membership of scheme for suppliers gives access
to valuable information, guidelines, support and book an
audit
• directory of Mentors accessible to suppliers
• ongoing development of additional services of benefit to
suppliers and buyers (eg local services directory, local
networking forums, access to local funding initiatives)
Some of the scheme supporters
Scheme membership
•
•
•
•
•
supplier joins scheme on-line and pays £50+vat
SALSA directory entry activated
access to additional support documents
access to local mentors
access to funding for mentors and support
Audit booking
• supplier orders and pays for audit online
(£450+vat)
• SALSA match supplier with a local auditor with
correct sector qualifications and experience
• auditor contacts supplier to check readiness and
offer advice
• auditor will arrange the audit to suit supplier
within 28 days
Audit performance
• standard duration on-site audit is one half-day
• auditor records findings on checklist and
assesses level of performance prior to a washup meeting
• auditor raises and discusses items for action or
improvement and prepares an action plan with
supplier
• auditor and supplier sign action plan as an
agreement
Supplier approval
• SALSA operations make approval decision
based on auditor’s recommendation and a
review of supplier’s returned action plan
• if approved, certificate of is placed in directory
and report emailed to supplier
• if not approved, no certificate in directory but
report still issued – supplier re-applies for audit
when ready
• supplier given further advice by SALSA
operations regarding further support and
resources available
Benefits
• The scheme is owned by the industry bodies who
have a direct interest in supplier development and
improvement
• The scheme allows small product and ingredient
manufacturers to provide assurance of food safety
and increase their access to larger customers
• The scheme provides a robust certification using a
standard that is appropriate and proportionate to the
size of the producer – effectively, an alternative to
BRC Global Standard
• The scheme addresses the increasing demand by
consumers for local and regional foods
Benefits
• The scheme fulfils the requirements of the Government’s
sustainability strategy and its Public Sector Procurement
Initiative
• The scheme will discourage the proliferation of similar
standards
• The scheme provides a route to supportive funding and
a means to measure the effectiveness of funded projects
www.salsafood.co.uk