Yiwu, renowned as the global hub of small commodities, has taken a pioneering step in enhancing international catering services by issuing the local standard of International Catering Management Service Specification – the first of its kind in Zhejiang province.

With a rich and growing diversity of international cuisines, such as Turkish, Indian, and South Korean, Yiwu faces unique challenges in ensuring food safety governance.

The supervisory department found that many foreign operators and employees could not communicate fluently in Mandarin, had a limited grasp of China's food safety laws and regulations, struggled to implement standardized management measures.

In an effort to address these issues, the department formed a team of international catering food safety supervisors with expats and established an international catering service center. The center offers services such as certificate processing, entry and exit permits, legal assistance, and dispute resolution for foreign operators.

To further standardize the management of international catering units and promote previous initiatives, Yiwu determined it was necessary to develop its local standard of International Catering Management Service Specification. This comprehensive document covers the principles, content, requirements, evaluation and improvement of international catering management service.

For example, to tackle challenges realted to the management of foreign employees in international catering units, the document provides specific instructions such as how to effectely manage work visas and health certificates, arrange service personnel assignments, and train management.

The document also outlines the star rating criteria for international catering units. The supervision department plans to conduct and publicize star ratings for international catering units, encouraging them to uphold food safety responsibilities while offering guidance to consumers.