A HALSTEAD-BASED bakery says securing an important award is a huge boost for the firm.

The Davina Steel Gluten-Free Bakery is kicking off the New Year with a hard-earned Safe and Local Supplier Approval accreditation.

The rating is only granted to food suppliers which can show they make safe and legal food and are committed to continually meeting SALSA standards.

The award means Davina Steel, who produce baked gluten-free food and baking kits, can now supply most retailers, food service companies and restaurants, most of which require a SALSA food accreditation.

Bakery co-founder Davina Steel said: “Applying for SALSA accreditation takes so much hard work, but we gained the accreditation in record time.”

The Halstead company opened its own, purpose-built bakery in July 2019, and secured a deal to supply the Co-op in November.

Davina added: “Achieving SALSA approval is a huge boost for our business as it opens up a world of opportunity and means we can now target the larger retailers with our extensive range of high quality, gluten-free bakes.”