The authors show the characteristics of an assessment tool planned to classifing on the basis of risk the establishments that produce traditional meat products within a definited territorial area. The tool divides the assessment process in 4 circles (“premises”, “processes”, “control”, “products”), in 16 categories and 30 criterions, by that it develops each evaluation in numerical scores. The method, experienced on 10 small establishments, shows to realize an useful classification to optimize the activity of control in a coherent way to the needs of effectiveness and efficiency, complying to the rules contained in the Regulations (EC) n. 882 and 854/2004