The UK’s major food buyers including Asda and Sainsbury’s are responding to a growing appetite for local and regional food with help from a food safety standard aimed at small and micro-sized producers.
More than 750 buyers from supermarkets, foodservice companies and catering suppliers have now signed up to the Safe And Local Supplier Approval scheme (SALSA) including Waitrose, Asda, Sainsbury’s and 3663.
The scheme, launched in 2007, is an independent guarantee for buyers that the producers have met industry approved standards of food safety, legality and quality.
Buyers now have access to a database of 341 approved businesses that have met the standard and this number is expected to grow to around 500 in the next 12 months.
More buyers and suppliers will be recruited at the SALSA stand at the Speciality and Fine Food Fair, the trade event for local, regional and artisan food and drink staged at the London Olympia from 5 to 7 September. Visitors will also have the opportunity to try samples from SALSA approved producers.
SALSA scheme director Chris Grimes said: “Many regional and national food companies now see local and regional sourcing as a major priority. SALSA certification means buyers from these organisations can be confident they are sourcing from a supplier who has demonstrated their capability to meet the food safety standards they require.
“The Speciality and Fine Food Fair is a perfect opportunity to inform more buyers about the scheme and demonstrate to producers how it can transform the size of their potential market.”
NFU head of food chain Lee Woodger said: “The increasing appetite for British and local food is reflected in the growth of the scheme with more than 300 new buyers registering and many new businesses successfully completing an audit in the last year.”
The scheme is a joint venture between the four main trade associations representing the UK food chain - the NFU, Food and Drink Federation, British Hospitality Association and British Retail Consortium.
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