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You’ve perfected your artisan chutney, your small-batch sourdough or your hand-made sausages. A few local delis and retailers want to stock them. Then, one of your buyers asks, ‘are you SALSA approved?’. Many small food and drink producers hear that acronym for the first time at this point and wonder what it means. SALSA isn’t a legal requirement, but for many buyers, it works like one. This blog explains what SALSA certification is, whether you need it, what an audit cov

This blog explains the UK laws that govern food safety and hygiene, what inspectors check and the practical steps you can take to keep your business compliant.

This blog explains what BRC and BRCGS mean, the differences between the two and what it means for your certification.

This blog explains what BRCGS certification is, why it’s important and how it can benefit your manufacturing business.

Running a food business in the UK means dealing with food safety every day, whether you have a small production kitchen, a growing food brand, a manufacturing site or an established business supplying major retailers. For some businesses, the immediate priority is getting a HACCP system in place. For others, it might be SALSA Accreditation, preparing for a BRCGS audit, improving food hygiene standards or dealing with a technical issue that has suddenly become much more import

Choosing food safety consultants in the UK is a very different decision from choosing an ordinary supplier. You are trusting that person, or team, to understand legislation, recognise food safety risks, interpret certification standards and, quite often, help you make important decisions about your products, premises and processes. You also need to know that the advice will work in the real world, because a food safety system that looks perfect on paper is of little value if

Reviewed by Katie Watkins Young MCIEH, CEnvH, FIFST, RPFAM, RFoodSMSenior Food Safety Director & Managing Director, Beacon Compliance When people search for Food Safety Consultants UK, they are often looking for something quite specific. They may have a SALSA audit coming up, be working towards BRCGS certification, need a HACCP system reviewing, or have reached a point where their food business has grown beyond what they can comfortably manage themselves. I understand that po

This blog explains who’s legally responsible for food safety in a restaurant, from the food business operator down to individual staff, and what that responsibility entails. Ask many restaurant owners who’s responsible for food safety, and they’ll probably say the chef, or whoever’s in the kitchen that day. It feels true, because the kitchen is where food gets handled. But it’s legally incomplete, and it’s the kind of assumption that lets everyone else in the business, from

Reviewed by Katie Watkins Young MCIEH, CEnvH, FIFST, RPFAM, RFoodSMSenior Food Safety Director & Managing Director, Beacon Compliance When people search for Food Safety Consultants UK, they're rarely just looking for someone who understands HACCP or food legislation. They're looking for someone they can trust because food safety is about far more than passing an audit. It's about protecting the business you've worked so hard to build, maintaining your reputation and knowing t

Reviewed by Katie Watkins Young MCIEH, CEnvH, FIFST, RPFAM, RFoodSM Senior Food Safety Director & Managing Director, Beacon Compliance When you're responsible for producing safe food, choosing the right food safety consultant isn't just another business decision, it's a decision that can influence your compliance, reputation, customer relationships and future growth. Whether you're preparing for SALSA Certification, strengthening your HACCP system, working towards BRCGS certi

Reviewed by Katie Watkins Young MCIEH, CEnvH, FIFST, RPFAM, RFoodSM – Senior Food Safety Director & Managing Director, Beacon Compliance If you've started looking into SALSA Accreditation, you'll already know there's a lot to think about. There's HACCP, traceability, supplier approval, cleaning schedules, food safety management systems, allergen controls, documentation and, of course, preparing for the audit itself. For many food businesses, especially growing manufacturers a

This blog explains the seven principles of HACCP, the legal position in the UK and where HACCP plans go wrong most often in food production environments.

Reviewed by Katie Watkins Young MCIEH, CEnvH, FIFST, RPFAM, RFoodSM – Senior Food Safety Director & Managing Director, Beacon Compliance For many UK food and drink businesses, achieving SALSA Accreditation is a major milestone. It demonstrates that your business has effective food safety systems, meets legal requirements and is committed to producing safe, high-quality products. However, preparing for a SALSA audit requires far more than completing paperwork. It involves impl

Joe's BRCGS Agents and Broker Experience Overview of the Problem: As a lean importer and distributor, House of Britannia required expert technical support to prepare for its first BRCGS Agents & Brokers audit. Without an in-house technical specialist, the business needed guidance to establish compliant processes, gain confidence in its food safety systems and ensure it was fully prepared for certification. The Results With the support of Beacon Compliance, House of Britannia

Reviewed by Katie Watkins Young MCIEH, CEnvH, FIFST, RPFAM, RFoodSM – Senior Food Safety Director & Managing Director, Beacon Compliance Whether you're launching a new food product, preparing for SALSA or BRCGS certification, or expanding into retail, working with experienced Food Safety Consultants UK can make the difference between struggling with compliance and building a food business that is ready for sustainable growth. Food safety legislation in the UK is complex and c

If you run a food or drink business in the UK, you’ll likely already know what HACCP is. You’ve probably had it explained to you by an auditor or a food safety consultant trying to get your business ready for certification. However, you might not fully understand what HACCP is for. Many food businesses view it solely as a legal obligation; a compliance exercise, or a box to tick before an audit or a visit from the local authority. While that’s not technically wrong, it only p

Tom's SALSA Certification Experience Overview of the Problem: Tom, founder of Yep Kitchen, had secured exciting growth opportunities with major retailers like Ocado and Whole Foods, as well as export markets, all of which required SALSA certification. Although his business already met food safety standards through the EHO and held a good FSA rating, the SALSA certification process felt overwhelming. He was unsure how to navigate the documentation, compliance requirements, and

This blog explores how food hygiene ratings are calculated, what can go wrong and the steps to take to improve your score. A low food hygiene rating is one of the more visible problems your food business can have. It’s published on the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) public register, follows your business around, and can have direct commercial consequences. So, if you’ve received a food hygiene score you’re not happy with, the question isn’t whether to act. It’s what to do fi

This blog explores why your business needs a food safety management system and what it should include. If you run a business that sells food in the UK, whether it’s from your home kitchen or large commercial premises, food safety should be your top priority. After all, your brand relies on the quality of the products you make and sell. Yet just one incident that affects the safety of your food can give your reputation a hit that’s difficult to recover from. That’s why your

This blog covers everything you need to know about new food product safety, compliance and testing before going to market in the UK. You’ve developed a new food product you believe in. You’ve refined the recipe, found a manufacturer and started thinking about your brand and packaging. The launch feels close. Then, someone mentions HACCP, SALSA compliance or Natasha’s Law, and suddenly the ground shifts a little. Getting food safety compliance wrong can carry huge conseque