The SALSA (Safe and Local Supplier Approval Scheme) Stakeholder Meeting took place on Thursday, 17 January at Brown’s Brasserie, London, updating scheme members and industry professionals on the development of the programme to date.

SALSA, which is a non-profit making joint venture between the four main trade associations (The British Hospitality Association, The National Farmers Union, The Food and Drink Federation and The British Retail Consortium) representing the UK food chain from farm to fork was formally launched on 19 March, 2007 by Lord Rooker.

The initiative aims to provide the UK food industry with an appropriate food safety certification scheme that is reliable, affordable and effective.

This enables small, local food and drink producers to demonstrate, at a reasonable cost, that they meet the standard expected by national buyers, opening new doors for local producers to supply hotels, restaurants, caterers and retailers by increasing their range of locally produced food which also meets the necessary legislative requirements.

With many of the big food retailers in attendance as well as key contract catering services and food service groups, the meeting was lively and informative, showcasing the significant progress this innovative scheme has made to date.

The meeting was chaired by David Whiteford of Scottish Food Quality Certification (SFQC) and included a rousing welcome from Lady Sylvia Jay, Chairman of Food for Britain who called for further support of the scheme which is self-funded and not for profit.

SALSA Directors Kevin Swoffer and Chris Grimes updated the audience on the final development of the scheme, announcing that 60 trained auditors and mentors had now been sponsored by stakeholders, with 14 successful pilot scheme participants awarded certificates in March and April 2007.

The scheme which has had 645 online registrations to date had been further aided by the updated functionality of the SALSA website which can be found at www.salsafood.co.uk.

The meeting featured an interesting presentation from Waitrose who are keen stockists of local and regional suppliers and who support the SALSA scheme. Supermarket giant ASDA also presented on the day highlighting how local sourcing has become a major part of their business and how important the SALSA approval was as they actively promote the scheme to suppliers as part of the company’s Local Sourcing Policy.

Two SALSA accredited suppliers also spoke at the stakeholder meeting sharing their positive experience of the SALSA method. Pipe of Port, a celebrated specialist in pie making and Battle Bake House, a specialist cake and biscuit company also provided welcoming accompanying treats to the coffee and tea breaks.

As consumers and suppliers alike grow increasingly more concerned about the origin of their produce and the number of food miles there have been to source it, words like sustainability become increasingly more important.

That is why a scheme like SALSA is so very important, allowing food service providers and retailers to work with and have confidence in small regional and local suppliers.

Photograph: The Salsa Panel take questions from the audience