Starting a food business can be hard. As an entrepreneur, you have so many things to consider during this process like recipe formulation, production facilities, sales and distribution, packaging and then challenging food safety requirements which can send you down a rabbit hole of compliance.
When starting out many suppliers simply avoid food safety requirements for fear of the unknown, concern about the certification criteria or lack of finances. Most micro and small suppliers simply have no idea what is expected of them. Many have only just managed to get a certificate of acceptability (COA), which on its own is a challenging task, but a COA alone does not qualify you to produce and sell food, it is only step one.
Depending on the types of products you are growing or manufacturing you might also be required to comply with additional food safety standards. For example, if you are producing processed meats, you would need an additional certification called HACCP. Becoming 100% compliant with food safety standards requires time, effort, and money - it may require changes to your production and management processes and there are a lot of things that need to work hand in hand for you to get it right. Of course, there are specialist companies that can assist you with this, but these can prove to be expensive when you are just starting up and have numerous other costs to manage.
But here is the good news!
In keeping with SPAR's commitment to “My SPAR, Our Tomorrow”, and its acknowledgement that everyone has the right to safe food, the SPAR Group has identified the need to help micro and small food suppliers to understand food safety, and so they have recently launched the SPAR Supplier Development Platform.
The programme is an industry solution first. Suppliers are able to access the programme and the supporting service providers to become food safety compliant, and some of these suppliers may decide to supply SPAR stores.
The only criteria to join this programme is that a business must classify as a micro or small supplier in either the Agriculture or Manufacturing sectors.
Tessa Morris, The National Food Safety Manager for The SPAR Group, has been the thought leader behind the SPAR Supplier Development Programme, which launched in September 2022 and has already seen huge interest from suppliers across the country. Tessa told Food Focus that in just a few short months, the programme has welcomed over 350 suppliers in both the manufacturing and agricultural sectors, who have collectively already loaded nearly 1500 products onto the platform.
She also explains that one of SPAR’s values is Entrepreneurship, which is why SPAR also has such a keen interest in supporting local entrepreneurs with this programme. The SPAR Supplier Development Programme positions SPAR to assist small food suppliers in becoming fully compliant in their delivery of food products and by doing so, gives small businesses an opportunity to participate in a bigger retail environment.
The programme allows suppliers to upload their products along with all the required information, such as product type, category, packaging information, production facilities, etc., to the SPAR Supplier Development Platform. The information loaded allows SPAR to correctly classify a product and provide the supplier with detailed information on what Food Safety Standards they require to become fully compliant.
Suppliers are empowered with an understanding of the next steps they need to take to make safe and compliant products, which is a vital element in ensuring food safety.
Additionally, suppliers are requested to upload all of their documentation, such as business registration, COA certification, proof of training completed and any relevant food safety achievements to date. SPAR then provides a rating score from 1 to 6 and once a supplier becomes compliant, their online profile is given the green light.
A green light in the programme allows SPAR retailers access to these products inside their Market Place!
Should you be a micro and small food supplier and wish to sign up for the programme, here is what SPAR can offer you at no additional charge:
- A food safety requirement assessment, followed by a plan on the next steps.
- Access to SPAR’s online library and resources containing interesting articles and “how to” tips for micro and small businesses.
- Cost-effective solutions from SPAR's preferred service providers, who will assist you with your food safety training, setting up food safety management systems, food safety auditing services and labelling reviews.
Join SPAR and all their suppliers on their journey to success.
