Over the past few months, I’ve attended several industry events and had conversations with food manufacturers about the challenges they’re facing as their businesses grow. One topic that keeps coming up is SALSA certification.
I’ve also been receiving enquiries from smaller food producers who are looking to expand their businesses, particularly those hoping to move into retail or supply larger customers. Many are asking similar questions: What exactly is SALSA? Who is it for? And what does a business need to have in place to achieve certification?
Given how frequently the subject has come up, I thought it would be useful to put together a practical introduction to SALSA certification, explaining what it is, who it is designed for and what food manufacturers should consider before getting started.
Whether you’re a small food producer preparing to approach retailers or simply exploring your food safety certification options, I hope this guide provides a helpful starting point.
Table of Contents
What Is SALSA Certification, and Why Was It Introduced?
SALSA stands for Safe and Local Supplier Approval.
It is a third-party food safety certification scheme designed to help smaller food and drink businesses demonstrate that they can produce and supply safe, legal products.
How Did SALSA Begin?
SALSA was launched in the UK in 2007 to address a challenge facing smaller food producers and the businesses purchasing their products.
Retailers, wholesalers and foodservice companies needed assurance that their suppliers had effective food safety controls. However, many smaller producers found that certification schemes developed for larger manufacturing operations were costly and difficult to implement.
To address this gap, four major UK food-industry trade associations came together to establish SALSA: the British Retail Consortium (BRC), the Food and Drink Federation (FDF), the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) and the British Hospitality Association (BHA). The scheme was established as a not-for-profit initiative, with the Institute of Food Science & Technology (IFST) responsible for its operation.
Today, SALSA is supported by the Food and Drink Federation, NFU and UKHospitality, with IFST continuing to oversee the delivery of the scheme.
Why Has SALSA Become Popular?
One of the main reasons for SALSA’s growth is that it provides benefits for both food producers and their customers. For smaller manufacturers, it offers a structured and proportionate approach to demonstrating food safety standards without necessarily having to pursue a certification scheme designed for much larger operations.
For retailers and foodservice buyers, SALSA provides independent assurance that participating suppliers have been assessed against recognised food safety requirements. This is particularly valuable for smaller businesses looking to move from supplying local markets or selling directly to consumers into supplying retailers, wholesalers or foodservice customers.
Rather than each buyer having to conduct its own supplier audit, participating buyers can use SALSA approval as part of their supplier assurance arrangements. However, not every customer accepts SALSA certification. Manufacturers should always confirm the requirements of the buyers they intend to supply.
Why Not Simply Implement ISO 22000?
ISO 22000 is an internationally recognised food safety management system standard that can be applied by organisations of different sizes throughout the food supply chain. SALSA serves a somewhat different purpose. It was developed specifically for smaller food and drink businesses, with an emphasis on proportionate requirements, practical guidance, independent auditing and recognition by participating buyers.
For a small producer hoping to secure a retail or foodservice contract, the decision may therefore depend on which certification its prospective customer expects or accepts. SALSA is not necessarily an alternative to ISO 22000 for every business, nor does it replace applicable food safety legislation. Instead, it provides a particular route to demonstrating food safety assurance that may be appropriate for eligible smaller producers.
Importantly, SALSA certification is not simply about having procedures in place. Businesses must demonstrate that their food safety arrangements are implemented and effective in practice.
However, not every customer accepts SALSA certification. Manufacturers should always confirm the requirements of the buyers they intend to supply.
Figure 1 provides an overview of four commonly encountered food safety certification schemes and the types of manufacturers and supply chains they typically serve.
Figure 1: How It All Fits Together – HACCP, Food Safety Management Systems, ISO 22000 and SALSA. Understanding the relationship between HACCP, food safety management systems, ISO 22000 and SALSA. The arrows show how these concepts connect, not a required certification sequence. Source: The Learning Reservoir.
Is SALSA Certification Available in Ireland and the UK?
Yes. SALSA is available to eligible food and drink businesses operating in both the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. The scheme was established in the UK in 2007 and expanded into Ireland in 2025.
This expansion is particularly relevant to Irish food producers supplying customers in the UK or seeking to develop relationships with buyers who already recognise the SALSA scheme. However, SALSA should not be confused with a European Union certification requirement.
It is a voluntary industry certification scheme, not an EU-wide legal obligation.
Food businesses must still comply with the food safety legislation applicable to their operations, regardless of whether they hold SALSA certification. SALSA approval provides additional independent assurance that a business meets the requirements of the relevant SALSA standard.
SALSA is a voluntary industry certification scheme, not an EU-wide legal obligation.
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Who Is SALSA Certification Designed For?
SALSA is primarily intended for small and micro food and drink businesses. For the core Food & Drink Production scheme, eligibility includes businesses that:
- Operate in the UK or Ireland.
- Produce food or drink from suitable commercial premises rather than a domestic kitchen.
- Meet the scheme’s small-business eligibility criteria, including having fewer than 50 employees.
Businesses should check the latest eligibility requirements directly with SALSA before applying.
The scheme may be particularly relevant to smaller producers looking to move beyond direct consumer sales and begin supplying larger or more demanding commercial customers. For example, a growing food producer may have established good manufacturing practices but need to demonstrate its food safety arrangements more formally before securing a new retail or foodservice contract. SALSA provides one possible route towards that objective.
However, certification requirements ultimately depend on the expectations of the individual customer. Not every buyer will accept SALSA in place of another food safety certification.
As illustrated in Figure 2, different food safety certification schemes may suit different types and sizes of food businesses. However, the right choice ultimately depends on your customers’ requirements, eligibility and business needs, rather than size alone.
Figure 2: Which Scheme Is Right for Your Business? A guide to food safety certification options across different business sizes. The best choice depends on customer requirements, eligibility and business needs, not size alone. Source: The Learning Reservoir.
What Does the SALSA Standard Cover?
The SALSA Food & Drink Production Standard addresses the systems and controls needed to manufacture food safely and legally. The detailed requirements depend on the applicable standard and issue, but the main areas of food safety management include the following.
Food Safety Management and HACCP
Manufacturers need to identify potential food safety hazards, assess the associated risks and establish appropriate controls. This involves applying the principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) within a food safety management system suited to the business and its products. A documented HACCP plan is important, but its effectiveness depends on whether the identified controls are understood, followed, monitored and reviewed.
Hygiene and Good Manufacturing Practices
Food safety depends on maintaining suitable manufacturing conditions. This includes areas such as cleaning and sanitation, personal hygiene, pest management, equipment maintenance and the prevention of contamination. Procedures need to reflect the actual manufacturing environment and be consistently applied by employees.
Allergen Management
Allergen controls are particularly important where a business handles multiple ingredients or products. Manufacturers need appropriate arrangements to manage allergen risks, prevent unintended cross-contact and ensure that product information and labelling are accurate.
Traceability and Product Recall
Food businesses must be able to trace relevant ingredients, materials and finished products. Effective traceability supports the investigation of potential food safety incidents and enables businesses to respond appropriately when products need to be withdrawn or recalled. A system may look effective on paper, but practical testing is essential to establish whether it works when needed.
Documentation and Records
Records provide evidence that required activities have been completed and that important controls are operating as intended. However, the purpose of documentation is not simply to satisfy an auditor. Good records help manufacturers monitor their processes, identify problems and make informed decisions.
Staff Training and Competence
Employees need the knowledge and skills appropriate to their responsibilities. This may include understanding hygiene requirements, allergen controls, critical process parameters, traceability procedures and how to respond when something goes wrong. Training records are part of the evidence, but manufacturers should also consider whether employees can demonstrate the competence required to perform their work effectively.
What Happens During a SALSA Audit?
SALSA approval involves an independent assessment against the requirements of the relevant standard. Although the details depend on the type of business and certification sought, the process generally involves several stages.
1. Confirm Eligibility and Select the Appropriate Standard
The business first needs to establish whether SALSA is suitable for its operations. SALSA offers different standards for different activities, including food and drink production, certain specialist production sectors, and brokers, storage and distribution. Selecting the appropriate scheme is an important starting point.
2. Review the Standard and Assess Existing Arrangements
Before an audit, the manufacturer should compare its existing food safety systems and practices with the applicable requirements. This type of gap assessment can identify missing procedures, weaknesses in records, training needs or controls that require improvement.
3. Implement Necessary Improvements
The next step is to address any identified gaps. For some businesses, this may involve developing or updating documentation. For others, the more significant work may involve improving operational controls, clarifying responsibilities or strengthening employee competence.
4. Complete the SALSA Audit
A SALSA auditor assesses the business against the applicable standard. The audit considers documented arrangements and how food safety controls are implemented in practice. Employees may be asked to explain their responsibilities, and the auditor may review records, observe activities and assess the manufacturing environment.
5. Address Any Nonconformances
Where requirements have not been met, the business may need to provide evidence of appropriate corrective action within the scheme’s specified timescales. Identifying the underlying cause of a problem is important. Correcting an isolated issue may be necessary, but understanding why it occurred can help prevent it from happening again.
6. Maintain Approval
SALSA approval is based on an annual audit cycle. Certification should therefore be viewed as an ongoing commitment rather than a one-off exercise. Manufacturers need to maintain their systems, review changes, develop employee competence and continue monitoring the effectiveness of their controls.
Considering SALSA Certification?
Not sure whether your current food safety system meets SALSA requirements? The Learning Reservoir provides practical food safety and HACCP consultancy, including independent gap assessments, audit preparation and improvement planning.
How Does SALSA Compare with BRCGS and Other Food Safety Certification Schemes?
Businesses exploring food safety certification may encounter several different standards and schemes. SALSA, BRCGS Food Safety, FSSC 22000 and IFS Food all relate to food safety assurance, but they are not interchangeable.
SALSA is specifically designed for smaller food and drink businesses and aims to provide a proportionate route to independent food safety certification.
BRCGS Food Safety is widely used by manufacturers supplying major retailers and other customers with demanding supplier assurance requirements.
FSSC 22000 provides a food safety management system certification scheme based on ISO 22000 and additional programme requirements.
IFS Food is another established certification programme used within international food supply chains, particularly in European retail markets.
A key distinction is that SALSA is not a GFSI-recognised certification programme, whereas recognised schemes include applicable versions of BRCGS Food Safety, FSSC 22000 and IFS Food.
This matters because some customers specifically require certification under a GFSI-recognised programme. A manufacturer should therefore consider its business objectives, customer requirements, eligibility and operational complexity before deciding which certification route to pursue.
For a smaller producer, SALSA may provide a valuable starting point. For a larger manufacturer or a business supplying customers with specific certification requirements, another scheme may be more appropriate.
Figure 3 below provides a quick overview of four food safety certification schemes and the types of manufacturing businesses and supply chains they commonly serve.
Figure 3: Key Food Safety Certification Schemes. SALSA is designed for smaller food and drink producers, while BRCGS Food Safety, IFS Food and FSSC 22000 are widely used across established food manufacturing and international supply chains. The most appropriate scheme depends on the manufacturer’s size, activities, target markets and customer requirements. Source: The Learning Reservoir.
Why Training and Competence Matter for SALSA Certification
When organisations prepare for certification, attention often focuses on documentation. Are the procedures in place? Are the required records available? Has the HACCP plan been reviewed? These are important questions. But there is another question that deserves equal attention:
Do employees understand the controls they are responsible for, and can they apply them consistently?
A food safety management system is only effective when the people operating within it understand their roles and responsibilities.
Consider a few examples.
- An employee may have completed allergen awareness training, but can they recognise situations where cross-contact could occur?
- A production supervisor may know that monitoring records must be completed, but do they understand the significance of a result outside an established limit?
- A team may know how to record a nonconformance, but can they investigate its underlying cause and implement effective corrective action?
These are questions of competence, not simply training attendance. Effective training should help people understand not only what they need to do, but why it matters and how to respond when something goes wrong. For manufacturers preparing for SALSA certification, developing this understanding can support stronger day-to-day food safety performance as well as audit readiness.
Seven Practical Questions to Ask Before Preparing for SALSA Certification
If your business is considering SALSA, the following questions can provide a useful starting point.
1. Is SALSA the right certification scheme for our business?
Check your eligibility, the activities covered by the standard and whether your target customers recognise the certification.
2. Are our food safety hazards and controls clearly understood?
Review whether your HACCP arrangements reflect your actual products, processes and operating conditions.
3. Do our procedures reflect what happens on the production floor?
Documented procedures should be practical, accurate and consistently followed.
4. Can we demonstrate that important controls are working?
Consider the effectiveness of monitoring, verification, recordkeeping and traceability arrangements.
5. Do employees understand their food safety responsibilities?
Look beyond training records to consider practical competence and awareness.
6. How effectively do we investigate and prevent recurring problems?
Review whether corrective actions address underlying causes and whether their effectiveness is checked.
7. Are we prepared to maintain our systems after certification?
Successful certification is not the end of the process. Ongoing review, training and improvement are essential.
Beyond Certification: Building Effective Food Safety Systems
Certification can provide valuable assurance to customers and help manufacturers establish more structured ways of working. However, the real value of a food safety management system lies in how effectively it supports the production of safe, legal food every day. That requires more than procedures and audit preparation.
It requires clear responsibilities, effective communication, competent employees, sound problem-solving and a willingness to continually improve. These principles apply to manufacturers of all sizes, whether they are preparing for their first SALSA audit or maintaining a more complex food safety certification.
Ultimately, certification provides evidence of meeting a defined standard, while a strong food safety culture helps sustain effective practices between audits.
How The Learning Reservoir Can Support Manufacturing Teams
At The Learning Reservoir, we believe effective management systems depend on the knowledge, skills and confidence of the people who use them.
Drawing on extensive experience in manufacturing, quality management, auditing and professional development, we provide practical training and consultancy to help organisations strengthen their systems and develop employee competence.
Our work includes areas such as quality management, internal auditing, root cause analysis, corrective action and quality culture. For food manufacturers, these wider capabilities can complement the specialist food safety knowledge needed to operate effective food safety management systems.
Whether your organisation is developing its quality capabilities or looking to improve the effectiveness of existing systems, investing in people is an important part of achieving sustainable improvement.
Frequently Asked Questions About SALSA Certification
What does SALSA stand for?
SALSA stands for Safe and Local Supplier Approval. It is a food safety certification scheme developed for smaller food and drink producers and suppliers.
Is SALSA certification available in Ireland?
Yes. SALSA expanded into the Republic of Ireland in 2025 and is available to eligible Irish food and drink businesses.
Is SALSA certification mandatory?
No. SALSA is a voluntary certification scheme. However, individual customers may require suppliers to hold SALSA approval or another specified certification as a condition of doing business.
Is SALSA recognised throughout Europe?
SALSA is primarily a UK and Ireland scheme. Recognition by individual buyers elsewhere should be confirmed directly; it should not be assumed to be an EU-wide certification requirement.
Is SALSA suitable for large food manufacturers?
SALSA is designed for smaller businesses and has specific eligibility criteria. Larger manufacturers typically need to explore other certification routes appropriate to their operations and customer requirements.
How often are SALSA audits carried out?
SALSA approval operates on an annual audit cycle, subject to the scheme’s current rules and requirements.
Does SALSA replace HACCP?
No. SALSA does not replace the need for appropriate HACCP-based food safety procedures or compliance with applicable food legislation. Instead, the scheme assesses a business against defined food safety requirements.
Choosing a food safety certification scheme is not simply about the size of your business. Your customers, target markets and manufacturing activities all influence which scheme is most appropriate.
Further Reading and Official Resources
For the most current requirements, eligibility information and guidance, consult the official SALSA resources:
SALSA Food & Drink Production Standard
SALSA — New Standard Issues 2026
Institute of Food Science & Technology — SALSA
This article provides general information about SALSA certification and is not a substitute for the current SALSA standards, official scheme guidance or specialist food safety advice.
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