SALSA approval vs BRCGS certification: which route fits a growing food business?

When a food business comes to us because a buyer has asked for “a certificate”, we ask to see the buyer's exact words. If the request names BRCGS, we would not start SALSA preparation until the buyer has confirmed that SALSA Approval is acceptable for that supply. If the request is vague, we help the business get the answer before it commits to either route.

It is a small question with a commercial consequence. A technically sound system will not open the intended customer opportunity if it answers a different requirement. SALSA and BRCGS are different schemes, with different standards and scopes. We do not treat them as two grades of the same certificate or recommend certification for its own sake.

Start with the sale you are trying to make

We start with the sale the business is trying to make. What assurance does this buyer need from this supplier for these products? We check whether the requirement names a scheme, a particular standard, the legal supplier, a site or a product range. If the buyer accepts more than one route, we want that confirmed before a project is built around an assumption.

Then we map what the business actually does. A manufacturer making and packing food, a cold store, a transport operator and a broker do not all fit the same standard. Some businesses do more than one of those things. That is where a broad description such as “our factory” stops being useful: the buyer may also be relying on a warehouse, a transport leg or a subcontractor that has not been included in the conversation.

For an eligible smaller producer, SALSA Food & Drink Production may be a proportionate route when the buyer accepts it. SALSA says its Food & Drink Production Issue 7 applies to audits from 1 September 2026. BRCGS Food Safety Issue 9 is the relevant BRCGS standard to investigate for food and ingredient manufacturing, processing and packing. BRCGS has separate standards for Storage & Distribution and other activities. The right comparison therefore starts with buyer acceptance and scope, not a general claim that one scheme is “better”.

Then look at the work behind the certificate

Whichever route is appropriate, a certificate is not produced by a folder of policies. The people handling the product need controls they can run; the records need to show what happened; and someone needs to own the action when a check fails. A procedure that says a check happens at dispatch is little help if no one knows who performs it on a late shift or where the result is kept.

This is why our early review looks at practice and records together. We may ask to follow one product from supplier through process and out to a customer. We look at specifications, allergen information, a real deviation and the ownership of open actions. These questions do not replace either scheme's requirements. They tell us whether the system on paper resembles the operation an independent assessor will examine.

We then separate controls that already work from gaps that need attention. A readiness or gap review gives the business an action list with owners, rather than a demand for more paperwork everywhere. We can help put agreed controls into daily use and check the evidence before assessment. The approval or certification decision remains with the scheme or independent certification body.

A sensible next step

If you contact us, bring the buyer's wording, product and process details, sites, current procedures and a few actual records. We can begin with the route if it is unclear. If it is already settled, we can spend the conversation on the gaps and the people who will close them.