A new food safety scheme has been launched that is intended to make it more affordable and less burdensome for small producers to directly supply local retailers and public institutions.
The Safe and Local Supplier Approval (SALSA) programme, which was launched on Monday by Sustainable Food and Farming Minister Jeff Rooker, has been designed with the aim of removing the practical barriers preventing small producers from directly supplying local outlets.
SALSA is described as a low-cost scheme that allows producers to demonstrate their ability to meet necessary legislative requirements. These requirements were previously met and judged on a case by case basis, a process that is said to have been both time consuming and costly.
Rooker explained that the scheme would make it easier for local suppliers to meet the standards expected by national buyers, and should allow them the opportunity to supply retailers and caterers both locally and nationally.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has been heavily involved in the establishment of the SALSA scheme. It’s director general Kevin Hawkins said: “Retailers are sometimes unfairly criticised for allegedly failing to support local producers. This is nonsense. Retailers are overwhelmingly British farmers’ and processors’ biggest customers and they want to expand the market for competitive locally-sourced products.
“By reducing the costs associated with achieving food safety recognition, SALSA will allow retailers to source food directly from small suppliers. Consumers, local producers and retailers will all benefit.”
The scheme has been jointly developed by the BRC, NFU, Food and Drink Federation and the British Hospitality Association, and has received funding from Defra and Scottish Enterprise as well as backing from the Food Standards Agency.
