SALSA approval, without the paperwork taking over.
SALSA is the food safety certificate for smaller producers. We get you ready for the audit with a system that is proportionate to your size and simple enough for a small team to keep up every week.
- Typical timeline from scratch
- 8 to 12 weeks
- Current standard
- SALSA Issue 7, for audits from 1 September 2026
- What you get
- A fixed quote after the gap analysis
Who SALSA is for
SALSA (Safe and Local Supplier Approval) was set up for small and micro food and drink producers. Many local and regional buyers accept it where they would otherwise ask for BRCGS.
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Artisan producers and bakeries
Your first retail listing, delicatessen or farm shop wants proof that your food is produced safely.
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Growing small manufacturers
You have outgrown Safer Food Better Business and need a proper HACCP-based system that a buyer will recognise.
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Drinks, preserves and specialist producers
Craft drinks, chutneys, sauces and confectionery, where a wholesaler or regional retailer asks for SALSA before listing you.
What the audit covers, and how we help with each part
The SALSA standard has four sections. We work through each one with you, clause by clause.
1. Prerequisite controls
- Training and hygiene
- A training procedure, training records and personal hygiene rules the team actually follow.
- Cleaning
- Cleaning schedules, validated cleaning methods and an approved chemical list.
- Allergens
- A raw material allergen register, a risk assessment for each process step and checks that your labels are right.
- Suppliers and stock
- Supplier approval, specifications reviewed every year, and stock, waste and pest control.
2. HACCP
- HACCP plan
- Scope, product descriptions, flow diagrams checked on the floor, hazard analysis and critical control points.
- Limits and monitoring
- Validated critical limits, monitoring records and corrective actions that make sense to the person filling them in.
- Verification and review
- Verification checks and an annual HACCP review, with the records to prove them.
- HACCP team
- A competent HACCP team, and trained people on site at all times who know what to do when something goes wrong.
3. Management systems
- Traceability
- Forward and backward traceability tests on finished product, both done at least once a year.
- Incidents and recalls
- An incident procedure, reviewed and challenge-tested every year, including a communication test.
- Specifications and labelling
- Finished product specifications, label control and shelf-life validation.
- Documents and changes
- Document control, non-conformances, and managing new products and recipe changes.
4. Premises
- Premises approval
- Registration or approval with your local authority, as your products require.
- Security and food defence
- External areas, site security, a food defence plan and a digital security plan, each reviewed every year.
- Layout and methods of working
- Product flow, segregation, and controls for visitors, tours and tastings.
- Building and GMP
- Building fabric, staff facilities, and a programme of good manufacturing practice checks.
SALSA Issue 7: what changed
Issue 7 was published in June 2026 and applies to every SALSA audit from 1 September 2026, with no transition period. If your system was built for Issue 6, it needs updating now.
More written procedures
Many clauses that used to say "controls shall be in place" now require a written procedure and records. This is the biggest practical change. If something isn't written down, or the records are missing, it will be a finding.
New requirements to check
- Backward traceability test
- A separate test on finished product, as well as the forward test.
- New products and changes
- Documented management of new products, recipes, packaging and process changes.
- Digital security plan
- A cyber defence plan, reviewed every year.
- GMP checks
- Documented good manufacturing practice and a programme of site inspections.
- HACCP competence on site
- Trained people on site at all times who can monitor and act on CCPs.
- Validation
- Cleaning methods and shelf life must now be validated, with shelf life reviewed every year.
Already SALSA approved? We can run an Issue 7 gap analysis on your existing system and update only what has changed.
How we get you SALSA ready
Every piece of work has a fixed quote agreed before we start.
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Gap analysis
We go through the SALSA standard clause by clause against your site, your documents and your records.
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Action plan and quote
What to fix, in order of priority, who does it and by when, plus a fixed price for our part.
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Build the system
HACCP, procedures and records written with your team, sized for a small business.
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Mock audit
A full practice audit a few weeks before the real one, so you know what the auditor will see.
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Audit and close-out
We are on hand for the audit and help you close any non-conformities quickly.
Questions
Something else? Ask us directly.
Do you carry out the SALSA audit?
No. SALSA audits are carried out by SALSA-approved auditors, and you apply to SALSA directly. We get you ready for the audit and help you afterwards.
How long does it take to get ready?
For a small producer starting from scratch, eight to twelve weeks is typical. If you already have a working HACCP system, it can be quicker.
SALSA or BRCGS?
SALSA is designed for smaller producers and is accepted by many local and regional buyers. National supermarkets and larger customers usually ask for BRCGS. Ask your customer what they will accept. A good SALSA system is also the best starting point for BRCGS later.
We use Safer Food Better Business. Is that enough?
Not for SALSA. SFBB is designed for caterers and small retailers. SALSA needs a full HACCP plan and the supporting procedures and records. We can build that from what you already do.
Our audit is before 1 September 2026. Which issue applies?
Audits before 1 September 2026 are against Issue 6. From that date, every audit is against Issue 7. If your audit is close to the changeover, we will plan the work so you are ready for Issue 7 anyway.
Getting ready for SALSA?
Tell us what you make and when your buyer needs the certificate. The first call is free.