SALSA Audit Checklist

Use this SALSA Audit checklist for self-assessments of compliance to the SALSA Food and Drink Production Standard for small businesses.

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Food & Hospitality
SALSA Audit Checklist

Food Safety Systems Review

Non-Conformance Investigation & Corrective Action

Traceability

1. Is there a procedure detailing the traceability system of all raw materials, including food contact packaging, throughout all stages of production from intake to despatch and delivery to customers, and backward from customer to raw material supplier?

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Managing Incidents

Document Control

Manufacturing & Finished Product Specifications

Labeling Control

Product Shelf-Life & Product Testing

Premises Approval

External Areas & Product Security

3. Is there a food security/defense plan in place describing product security threats and how they are controlled, including measures to ensure only authorized personnel have access to production and storage areas on site? Are digital records protected in case of digital failure and digital cyber security attacks?

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Site Layout & Methods Of Working

Structure, Services & Fabrication

Training And Supervision

Personal Hygiene

2. Is suitable workwear worn by employees, visitors, and contractors in food handling/storage areas, and is it suitable for the food being handled? Is protective clothing changed as necessary and laundered hygienically, or if disposable, controlled to avoid product contamination?

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Cleaning

Allergen Management

Process, Environment & Equipment Control

2. Are documented environmental controls monitored to ensure facilities are adequate to maintain raw materials, work-in-progress, finished products, and packaging within a safe temperature range and, where applicable, under controlled humidity, atmospheric, or other environmental parameters?

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Control Of Suppliers & Raw Materials

1. Is there a procedure detailing how all suppliers of raw materials, including packaging and processing aids, are approved? Is the approved supplier list kept current and reviewed annually, considering the risks relevant to the supplier and raw materials supplied?

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Stock Control

Waste Control

Pest Control

Equipment

Maintenance

Vehicle Management, Storage & Distribution Control

HACCP System

1. Has a documented HACCP system been developed and maintained with a scope that describes which products and processes are covered? Is the HACCP team or person trained and able to demonstrate competence in understanding HACCP principles and their application?

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2. Are product descriptions written for each product or product category, including all relevant safety factors and information? Does business management demonstrate awareness of food standards, legal regulations, and industry codes of practice applying to the products they produce, trade, handle, store, and/or distribute?

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Checklist by GoAudits.com – Please note that this checklist is intended as an example. We do not guarantee compliance with the laws applicable to your territory or industry. You should seek professional advice to determine how this checklist should be adapted to your workplace or jurisdiction.

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SALSA Audit Checklist

Use this SALSA Audit checklist for self-assessments of compliance to the SALSA Food and Drink Production Standard for small businesses.

1. Is a food safety and internal systems review carried out and recorded at least annually, including all requirements of the SALSA Standard, and are areas for action or improvement identified?

2. Is there a timetable for completing actions and improvements identified in the food safety systems review?

1. Are controls in place to identify, record, and manage non-conforming materials at all stages of production and throughout all processes, from intake to despatch including customer complaints?

2. Are procedures in place to investigate, record, and remedy the cause of any product, process, or procedural non-conformance?

3. Is there a procedure to ensure that product complaints are logged, investigated, and responded to?

1. Is there a procedure detailing the traceability system of all raw materials, including food contact packaging, throughout all stages of production from intake to despatch and delivery to customers, and backward from customer to raw material supplier?

2. Does the traceability system ensure that all raw materials, including food contact packaging and intermediate products, are identified and traceable at all stages of production and storage?

3. Is traceability of products tested forwards and backward at least annually, and more frequently if there are known risks in the supply chain?

1. Is there a procedure giving clear guidance on the response to any incident that may compromise the safety and/or legality of a product?

2. Is the incident procedure reviewed and tested at least annually to ensure its effectiveness, and are records kept?

3. Is SALSA informed in the event of a product recall, withdrawal, improvement notice, or legal proceedings related to the safety and/or legality of a product within 3 working days, with a summary of the subsequent investigation sent to SALSA?

1. Does a procedure detail the control of documents and records relating to the safety, legality, and quality of products?

2. Are all documents and completed records relating to the safety, legality, and quality of products genuine, legible, retained in good condition, and stored securely for at least the shelf-life of the products plus one year?

1. Are specifications for recipes and finished products adequate, accurate, and kept current?

2. Do specifications include defined limits for microbiological, physical, and chemical parameters that may affect the safety and/or quality of a finished product?

3. Are procedures, working instructions, and records clearly legible and readily accessible at all times?

1. Are procedures in place to ensure all product labels and labeling information at the point of sale, including e-commerce, websites, and leaflets, conform to legislative and customer requirements?

2. Is there evidence to support the use of claims on finished product labels and labeling information, including provenance, suitability, production method, nutritional/health claims, or logo claims?

3. Does a procedure detail how the correct label or printed packaging is applied to the product, with records kept?

1. Is the shelf-life applied to products validated to ensure the safety and quality of the product, with records kept?

2. Is a finished product testing program in place to ensure compliance with specifications, with records kept?

3. Are accredited laboratories used for all tests critical to product safety or legality?

1. Is the production site registered with or approved by the site’s appropriate authority, with documented reports from the appropriate authority available and held on file for inspection?

1. Have external factors affecting the location that may contaminate or affect the integrity of products been assessed?

2. Are the perimeter, grounds, drainage, external storage, and utilities maintained in good order?

1. Is there a site plan showing how layout and methods of working minimize the potential for unintended physical, chemical, microbiological, or allergen contamination of products and packaging at all process steps?

2. Are the factory layout, flow of processes, and movement of personnel managed to prevent the risk of cross-contamination and ensure effective segregation between products where required?

1. Is the building structure, including walls, ceilings, doors, floors, drains, and lighting, sound, fit for purpose, and regularly maintained?

2. Are building services such as ventilation, compressed air, and steam sound, fit for purpose, and regularly maintained?

3. Are suitable and sufficient hand cleaning facilities provided?

4. Are changing facilities provided and sited to avoid external contamination after changing into protective clothing? Do toilets not open directly into handling or storage areas?

5. Are facilities for tray and utensil washing and general-purpose cleaning adequately segregated from product handling and storage?

6. Are glass and breakables control procedures documented, including a list of relevant items and recorded checks?

7. Is cleaning and/or replacing light fittings and glass carried out in a manner to minimize the potential for product contamination?

8. Are procedures in place to prevent contamination by foreign bodies, including wood and plastic, and from building structures, services, and/or fabrication?

1. Is there a training procedure in place to provide evidence that all staff can competently carry out their specific job function?

2. Are temporary personnel trained commensurate with their activity before starting work, and are records kept?

3. Is there a program and records for annual refresher training in place for food handlers and key staff?

4. Are all personnel adequately supervised throughout the working period?

1. Is there a personal hygiene procedure in place with controls to reduce the risk of contamination from personnel and personal items? Is it evident that these rules are understood and implemented by all personnel to prevent product contamination?

2. Is suitable workwear worn by employees, visitors, and contractors in food handling/storage areas, and is it suitable for the food being handled? Is protective clothing changed as necessary and laundered hygienically, or if disposable, controlled to avoid product contamination?

3. Are designated changing facilities provided for all personnel entering food handling/storage areas where protective clothing is required?

4. Is there a procedure set in place that describes the type of protective clothing to be worn, how to wear it, and the order of changing when entering or leaving the designated changing area during the production of High Risk/High Care products?

5. Is the consumption of food and drink prohibited within food production and storage areas?

6. Is hand cleaning performed before entering production, handling food, after visiting the toilet, and at a frequency appropriate to minimize the risk to the product?

7. Does the business have a procedure for establishing the health status of food handlers and for the notification of relevant infectious diseases or conditions by employees, temporary employees, contractors, and visitors?

1. Are all areas of the site visually clean and tidy, with suitable cleaning and housekeeping standards to minimize the potential for product contamination?

2. Are documented cleaning schedules, procedures, and records in place for the building, services, plant, and all equipment, whether direct or indirect food contact?

3. Are there documented controls in place for the safe and effective use of cleaning chemicals to prevent contamination of the product?

4. Is the verification of the effectiveness of cleaning and disinfecting processes routinely completed, with records kept?

5. Is there an environmental sampling plan in place for high-risk/high-care areas to test for the presence or absence of Listeria species, with appropriate records kept?

1. Have all allergens handled on-site or brought onto the site been identified, and is there documentation of the risk of cross-contamination?

2. Is there an allergen management procedure and controls implemented at all stages of production to prevent or minimize the potential for cross-contamination, with records kept?

3. Are allergen information on labels and printed packaging legal and accurate?

4. If allergen suitability claims are made for a product, is the information provided on labels and labeling determined using validated, accredited testing methods?

1. Are documented process controls monitored to ensure products can be made consistently in compliance with recipes and finished product specifications?

2. Are documented environmental controls monitored to ensure facilities are adequate to maintain raw materials, work-in-progress, finished products, and packaging within a safe temperature range and, where applicable, under controlled humidity, atmospheric, or other environmental parameters?

3. Are procedures in place to establish the safety status of the product in case of equipment failure?

4. Are environmental monitoring devices such as temperature probes and recorders and process control devices such as weighing equipment & metal detection calibrated to ensure accuracy within defined parameters at a predetermined frequency?

5. Are metal control or detection procedures documented and subject to recorded inspection and/or testing?

6. Are all measuring devices and equipment used for monitoring production processes and product quality regularly checked and adjusted if necessary?

7. Are procedures for quantity control in place to ensure the product complies with Weights and Measures legislative requirements?

1. Is there a procedure detailing how all suppliers of raw materials, including packaging and processing aids, are approved? Is the approved supplier list kept current and reviewed annually, considering the risks relevant to the supplier and raw materials supplied?

2. Are specifications held on-site and kept current for all raw materials, including food contact packaging and processing aids?

3. Is there a procedure in place to describe the documented checks required on incoming raw materials, including food contact packaging and processing aids?

4. Has a documented risk assessment related to food fraud, adulteration, or substitution been conducted on all raw materials, including food contact packaging, and is it reviewed annually?

5. Is the water supply, including stored mains water or private water supply, potable and not presenting a contamination risk to products?

1. Is stock rotation controlled to ensure that raw materials and work in progress are used within their allocated shelf-life?

2. Are records kept to show that surplus products or those that do not meet specifications and are sold to staff or passed to other organizations are fit for consumption, meet legal requirements, and are traceable?

1. Is there a procedure detailing how the accumulation of waste in handling and storage areas is minimized prior to its removal?

2. Are internal and external waste collection containers and compactors clearly identified and managed to minimize the risk of contamination and pest harborages?

3. Are products that require specific conditions for disposal separated and disposed of using licensed contractors?

1. Are all premises designed, constructed, and maintained to minimize the risk of pest infestation?

2. Are the services of a competent pest control operator contracted for the regular inspection and treatment of premises, with clearly defined inspection frequencies reflecting site activities and reviewed at least annually?

3. Are the locations of all pest control measures identified on a plan/diagram of the site and reviewed at least annually?

4. Are regular inspections conducted, with records kept including details of any pest activity and pest control treatments undertaken?

5. Are the results of pest control inspections assessed and analyzed for trends at least annually, with corrective actions taken to eliminate further risk to product safety when trends are identified?

6. Are baits and other materials applied and used according to documented safe use instructions, with these instructions held on-site?