Development and piloting of a support package to enable small and medium sized food and drink manufacturers to obtain third party food safety certification

Multiple benefits exist for food and drink manufacturing businesses from obtaining third-party food safety certification. However, barriers to obtaining certification have been identified as ‘knowledge and skills’, ‘time, cost and resources’, and ‘communication and information’. Such barriers may prevent small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) food manufacturers meeting scheme requirements and obtaining certification. Research has identified the need for a support package incorporating online, off-site, on-site and financial support to assist and enable food manufacturing businesses to obtain food safety certification. This study created and piloted a support package for SME manufacturing businesses to obtain certification against the Safe and Local Supplier Approval (SALSA) scheme. The support package consisted of six mechanisms: (i) self-assessment tool, (ii) internal systems review, (iii) ‘audit-ready’ workshop, (iv) pre-audit factory inspection, (v) post-audit support and (vi) audit-fee contribution. Eligible manufacturers (n = 11) joined the study. Five manufacturers completed the support package; all of which underwent the official SALSA audit and obtained certification within 12 months. The study has successfully created and piloted a support package that resulted in food manufacturing businesses obtaining SALSA certification. Launch of the support package may assist the growth of SME food and drink manufacturing businesses and help to ensure business longevity.