With nearly 1500 breweries now producing beer in the UK there is a bewildering choice for the retailer whether they are a supermarket, off license or pub group.  The SALSA plus Beer accreditation will give the buyer confidence about the product they are buying and will also be of significant commercial advantage to a brewer himself who will be able to use this accreditation as part of his sales presentation. Benefits to the industry include:

• The industry has one nationally recognised accreditation scheme for medium to small breweries recognised by retailers. This accreditation will then be accepted by retailers.
• It is focussed on small to medium sized breweries and is tailor made for their requirements unlike the more widely known BRC scheme.
• The assessors are highly qualified and understand fully the brewing process.
• The scheme is under the SALSA umbrella which already has credibility in the retail sector.
• A brewer with the accreditation will have simple access to market as they have proved their product is of quality.
• There will be significant commercial benefits to those breweries with the accreditation as it is effectively a quality mark.

The scheme can offer a mentoring service to support brewers to gain the accreditation.

The SALSA standard was written by experienced food safety experts to reflect both the legal requirements of producers and the enhanced expectations of ‘best practice’ of professional buyers. SALSA plus Beer is the main SALSA food safety audit plus an extensive module on brewing, created by SALSA and Cask Marque.

Additional criteria contained in the SALSA plus Beer Standard were developed to:

• encourage excellence in the brewing & bottling industry
• raise the profile of processors within the brewing industry
• provide a forum for exchange of ideas and
• give clear guidelines for approval to Brewers & Bottlers

The SALSA plus Beer Audit Standard also details a number of additional Requirements to reflect specific aspects of the brewing industry. These are included in:

• Section 1.2 Personal Hygiene
• Section 1.3 Cleaning
• Section 1.4 Contamination/Cross-Contamination Prevention
• Section 1.6 Control of Raw Materials
• Section 1.8 Waste Control
• Section 5 Legal Requirements
• Section 6 Quality Requirements

Approval certification is only granted to suppliers who are able to demonstrate to a SALSA auditor that they are able to produce safe and legal beer and are committed to continually meeting the requirements of the SALSA plus Beer standard.

To sign up or to find out more about SALSA plus Beer phone the SALSA Helpline on 01295 724248.

Below is a list of brewers who have gained the SALSA plus Beer accreditation. There are two other brewery audit schemes which are even more in-depth than SALSA plus Beer and breweries who have achieved this are listed too.

ISO Standards

AB InBev
Caledonian
Carlsberg UK
Fullers
Heineken UK
Molson Coors
Theakstons

BRC – British Retail Consortium

Adnams
Carlsberg UK
Charles Wells
Greene King
Marston’s
Robinson’s
Shepherd Neame
Timothy Taylor

SALSA plus Beer

Everards Brewery
Harviestoun Brewery Ltd
Langhams Brewery
Meantime
Purity brewing co
St Austell Brewery
The Great Yorkshire Brewery
The West Berkshire Brewery
Titanic Brewery Co. Ltd
Tynemill
Wadworth & Co Ltd
Windsor Castle Brewery
WooHa Brewing Company Ltd