Setting the standards in health of what we eat

China can learn from the UK's experience in helping small and medium-sized businesses implement food safety standards, says Jenny Morris, principal policy officer of the London-based charity Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.

"Larger businesses often have resources to follow regulations in a more scientific way, but smaller businesses require more support in understanding and implementing standards in a practical way," Morris says.

The UK itself took a rather long route to find the best way of supporting SMEs, she says. " We realized that it was not enough to support the SMEs with monitoring and inspection facilities. They also needed information on how to achieve the correct standards. This is something that we hope can be shared internationally."

Set up in 1883 to provide training to environmental health sector professionals, the institute has become a global organization that provides training in the US, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. It has worked in China since 1988 to provide food safety training to the Chinese subsidiaries of some Western food companies it was already working with, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc and Tesco Plc. Over time, more Western and Chinese companies have expressed interest in its training programs. In 2006 the institute contracted its training services to China Chainstore and Franchise Association, thereby allowing its theories to reach a wider audience.

Since then, the institute training has reached employees and managers from more than 50 major retailers and food franchises throughout China.

A few years ago the institute also won a contract with the local government of Chongqing city to provide health and safety awareness training for business managers and local food safety regulators. The training was carried out in the UK over 10 days.

Apart from government officials, most of the Chinese visitors to the institute are private restaurant chain owners or supermarket chain owners who are keen to acquire the best international practices.

Morris says visiting delegations from China often ask her teams about how the UK ensures food safety rules are followed, particularly for smaller businesses that typically have few resources to comply with standards.

"They are interested in how we get the outcome, particularly for businesses in the catering and hospitality area," she says.