How long have you worked for SALSA?

I have been working as a SALSA auditor for over two years now. I was approached to join the SALSA plus cheese team back in 2019 to work with the cheesemakers in the North; however, due to the pandemic, it took a while longer to make this happen.

What is the most important advice you can give a Supplier preparing for an audit?

My advice is to give yourself enough time to work through the preparation process for your audit, it may take longer than you realise.

Use resources & mentors to make the journey easier for yourself. There are valuable resources in the Tools & Tips section on the SALSA website. In addition, you may choose to use the help & support of an experienced SALSA mentor. Details of mentors may be found on the SALSA website, too.

What do you enjoy most about SALSA auditing and mentoring?

I find it rewarding to share my expert knowledge to help & support small & and medium-sized businesses to build confidence, improve food safety/quality systems and grow. Gaining accreditation can be the difference between being accepted to supply new customers and being able to maintain a supply to customers or not.

How long have you worked in food and drink industry?

I think it must be around 20 years or so now that I have worked in the food industry in some shape or form.

What was your first food job?

My first proper food job was a placement with Tennent Caledonian Breweries in Glasgow when I was studying for the BSc in Brewing and Distilling at Heriot – Watt University in Edinburgh back in 2001.

How long have you worked for SALSA?

Just over 4 years now. I started with SALSA at the end of 2018 and did my first audit early 2019.

What is the most important piece of advice you can give a Supplier preparing for an audit?

For new businesses to the scheme, I would always strongly advocate to fully utilise the SALSA Tools and Tips, as those that do, from my experience, seem to get it spot on. For existing businesses, continue to make use of the SALSA online resources and make sure you complete the SALSA Self Assessment Checklist in good time prior to the audit, in order to ensure you have implemented any identified actions.

What do you enjoy most about SALSA auditing and mentoring?

Being a bit of a beer geek with an avid interest in the drinks industry, I find that having the opportunity to visit and play a part in helping so many excellent breweries, distilleries, and other drinks producers across the country extremely rewarding and enjoyable. I consider it a privilege to have worked with some of Scotland’s finest drinks producers helping them achieve compliance.

How long have you worked in food and drink industry?

Let’s just say it’s in excess of 40 years (there’s no need to be too precise on these minor details!) and I think I can honestly say I’ve enjoyed all of them, from Technical roles, to Production Management, to factory management – in the UK, France and Holland.

What was your first food job?

As a teenager I worked in a bakery during summer holidays, but my first proper job after getting my degree was as a very junior Technical Manager for a food business in South London. The business had four factories: one prepared fresh meats, one prepared delicatessen meat products; one prepared fresh veg, salads, fruit salads & mayonnaise-based dressings and one making specialist patisserie products.

The clients for all of the factories were high-end, London hotels and clubs. The range of products was a fantastic learning experience for me. I think that’s where I honed the knack of being able to get along with almost anyone, which is so important for any auditor. A large part of working as an auditor is getting people to talk to you, to tell you about all the fantastic things they do – in circumstances where they often feel a bit nervous.

I know many managers used to brief their staff saying ‘it’s an audit – don’t say too much because you might say something wrong’. The lovey thing about Salsa Audits is that auditors are allowed to give a little advice and guidance, I always do my best to make an audit a positive experience and think I achieve that most of the time.

How long have you worked for SALSA?

I’ve worked for Salsa since it started in 2007. I’m one of the original Auditors / Mentors still with Salsa from that era. We all shared the desire to roll-out a food safety standard that would be ‘a robust and well-respected first rung on the ladder’ for smaller food businesses and it has been a real pleasure to get to know so many of our members over the years and to see them grow into thriving enterprises.

What do you enjoy most about SALSA auditing and mentoring?

Meeting fantastic, passionate people who are such experts in their fields. As Salsa Auditors & Mentors we’re required to have a good understanding of all the food products and production processes that we audit. But any auditor will tell you that the real experts in the businesses we audit are the teams that run them and make the products, day in – day out. Auditors might understand a bit more about the biochemistry, microbiology and the theories behind thermal processing than the businesses we visit, but put us in front of a bottling machine, retort, pasteuriser or cooker that’s on the blink and most of us would be useless!

How long have you worked in food and drink industry?

In excess of 30 years, having worked in other industries too within this time. I've always been drawn to food as this is my first love and the variety is just amazing! I've been working as a food safety consultant since 2009 and was in a regulatory role for many years in local government.

What was your first food job?

When I left school I studied construction at Chichester College of Technology, during this time I saw a weekend job advertised for what was then the new Waitrose in Chichester. I was offered the opportunity to be trained in butchery. I really did enjoy it, and, long story short, I ended up running the butchers' counter at the weekends. Following this, Waitrose management ultimately offered me further training in all departments and management training - so I jumped at this opportunity!

How long have you worked for SALSA?

I've worked for SALSA since 2018 as an Auditor and Mentor and love being part of the SALSA Auditor and Mentor cohort - a like minded group, equally passionate about food and assisting small and medium sized food businesses.

What is the most important piece of advice you can give a Supplier preparing for an audit?

Take the time and resources realistically needed to read and understand the standard, complete the SALSA self assessment checklist and utilise the tools and the tips created to assist with this. If this is your first experience of preparing for an audit beyond legal compliance I would always advise seeking the assistance of a registered SALSA Mentor, and choosing a package from SALSA that includes a day of Mentoring in the first instance.

What do you enjoy most about SALSA auditing and mentoring?

Meeting amazing people and seeing the fantastic array of foods they produce and supply. I find it rewarding and enjoyable assisting them and being part of their journey. More recently I've been part of the Horsham/Gatwick SALSA Go Support from the start scheme, this continues to be an amazing opportunity for small businesses to obtain grant funding to help get them started on their journey! It's a pleasure to be part of this scheme helping a number of local small food businesses take their first steps towards achieving SALSA approval.