Certification / SALSA Approval

SALSA approval support and audit preparation.

For smaller food and drink producers seeking first SALSA approval, Primor helps turn informal ways of working into documented controls that people can use. Start with the customer requirement, then identify gaps, close corrective actions and check readiness for assessment.

Discuss SALSA approval preparation

Is SALSA right for your business?

SALSA can provide smaller food and drink producers with a recognised way to demonstrate that they operate safely and legally. The need often arises when a prospective customer, wholesaler, retailer or foodservice buyer asks for independent assurance before opening a commercial opportunity. Not every business needs SALSA. Primor helps establish what your customer requires, whether SALSA is appropriate and what needs to be put in place.

Customer requirements

Understand what the customer or target market expects before committing time and money.

Appropriate systems

Build controls that reflect your products, risks, operation and people.

Commercial purpose

Pursue approval because it supports a worthwhile opportunity—not simply for another certificate.

Practical SALSA support from preparation to maintenance.

Preparation starts with your products, processes, people and customer requirement. A review identifies what already works and what must be documented or corrected; implementation then puts those controls into daily use before evidence and open actions are checked for assessment.

Readiness review — establish your current position, what already works and where attention is required.

Gap assessment — compare systems and practices against relevant SALSA requirements.

Food-safety systems — improve HACCP, supplier, allergen, traceability and recall controls.

Implementation — help your team put requirements into practice, not only into documents.

Audit preparation — test essential systems, evidence and open actions before assessment.

Ongoing maintenance — keep systems current so preparation does not begin again shortly before the next audit.

The right level of control. Nothing unnecessary.

A smaller producer needs controls that fit its products and risks and can be run by its people. Common pitfalls include procedures that do not match practice, missing records, unclear ownership of corrective actions and leaving traceability checks until the assessment is near.

WE DON’T BUILD THE BIGGEST SYSTEM. WE BUILD THE RIGHT SYSTEM.

What Primor can help you manage.

HACCP development and review · Supplier approval · Product specifications · Allergen controls · Traceability systems and exercises · Withdrawal and recall procedures · Food-safety documentation · Internal reviews and audits · Corrective actions · Root-cause analysis · Customer technical requirements · Ongoing system maintenance

To scope the work, share your product and process details, customer requirement, existing procedures and records, recent findings and the people responsible for food safety. Agreed outputs may include a prioritised gap and action list, revised documented controls, evidence checks and a plan for closing remaining actions. The exact scope is agreed before work begins.

What SALSA preparation looks like.

1. Establish the route — confirm the customer requirement and relevant SALSA scope, then review products, process flow, site practice and records. Record what works and where controls or evidence are missing.

2. Put controls into use — agree owners and actions, document proportionate procedures and train the people who use them. Test whether records, traceability and corrective actions reflect real practice.

3. Check readiness — review evidence and open actions before assessment. After findings, address root causes, complete corrective actions and keep the system current rather than restarting preparation next time.

Evidence from related food safety systems work.

“She has helped us enormously with our BRCGS systems, from training our team and creating two detailed HACCP systems…”

British Premium Meats · BRCGS systems work

SALSA for brokers, storage and distribution.

SALSA also provides a route for qualifying smaller businesses involved in brokering, storing or distributing food products. Primor can help relevant businesses understand requirements and implement proportionate controls around suppliers, traceability, product information, storage and customer assurance.

Discuss your business with Primor

Current audit standards: SALSA Food & Drink Production Issue 7 and Brokers, Storage & Distribution Issue 2 apply to audits from 1 September 2026. We check the relevant issue and published updates when scoping gap analysis, implementation and pre-audit preparation.

SALSA’s current standards and updates →

Frequently asked questions.

What if our food safety systems are mostly informal? Start by mapping what staff actually do, the risks they control and the records already available. Primor can help document workable controls and identify the gaps to close before assessment.

Is SALSA the same as BRCGS? No. They are different schemes with different scopes and requirements. The appropriate option depends on the business opportunity and customer requirement.

Can Primor help maintain SALSA systems after approval? Yes. Primor can provide ongoing outsourced technical support to keep agreed systems current, manage actions and help the business remain prepared.

Does Primor grant SALSA approval? No. Primor provides preparation and implementation support within an agreed scope. The assessment and approval decision sit with the scheme and its appointed assessor.

Preparing for first SALSA approval?

Tell us what you make, the customer requirement and where your systems stand today. Based in Cambridgeshire, Primor supports food businesses across the UK; for work beyond the UK, ask whether support is possible.

Discuss your SALSA starting point

Read the first SALSA approval checklist →

Compare SALSA and BRCGS routes →

Ongoing outsourced technical support →