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This paper aims to draw together three strands of work currently being carried out at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh to take an overview of food in Scotland and on-going local interventions. The provision of “artisan” food, defined here as food that forms part of the established tradition of its local area, usually produced on a relatively small scale, has become prominent in Scotland in recent years and is seen by many as part of a developing food culture that begins to address the Scottish food paradox.

A review of current research that considers artisanal food production and work that researches small and family enterprises was undertaken.

Small business support within the UK and indeed tailored support for businesses owned and managed by families is in a developmental phase at present. While there are numerous sources from which businesses can seek support, there are also acknowledged challenges for businesses in identifying the most appropriate sources of support, and the opportunity cost of engaging with business support agencies remains a serious concern for many. Further, much business support prioritises high-growth businesses, effectively de-prioritizing artisanal food producers.

The development and promotion of appropriate business support systems tailored to artisanal food production is an area that would merit further development.

The value of this piece lies in its blending of two distinct areas of work, considering both the challenges faced by artisanal food producers and recent research in family and smaller enterprises.

We conducted a systematic review to explore the potential for the application of blockchain technologies for supply chain resilience in a small-scale agri-food business context.

As part of the research methodology, scientific databases such as Web of Science, Google Scholar and Scopus were used to find relevant articles for this review.

The systematic review of articles (n = 57) found that the use of blockchain technology in the small-scale agri-food business sector can reduce the risk of food fraud by assuring the provenance of food products.

Only a few papers were directly from a small-scale agribusiness context. Key challenges that limit the implementation of blockchain and other distributed ledger technologies include concerns over the disclosure of proprietary information and trade secrets, incomplete or inaccurate information, economic and technical difficulties, low levels of trust in the technology, risk of human error and poor governance of process-related issues.

The application of blockchain technology ensures that the risks and costs associated with non-compliance, product recalls and product loss are reduced. Improved communication and information sharing can increase resilience and better support provenance claims and traceability. Better customer relationships can be built, increasing supply chain efficiency and resilience.

Directive 93/43/EEC introduced the concept of good hygiene practice, in response to a pan‐European increase in the incidence of food poisoning, to foster a preventive approach to food safety. UK legislation reinforces the EU position that food businesses are responsible for the implementation of good hygiene practices. The response of the food industry has been to develop audited standards of hygiene, higher than explicit legal requirements. Small businesses have, however, been slow to adopt industry hygiene standards. A case study of small manufacturers of ready to eat meat products investigated the reasons for this. Businesses were first audited to the EFSIS[1] standard, to compare current practice with recommended best practice. Second, technical managers or owner‐managers were interviewed, to gain an insight into their knowledge of industry standards in particular, and the process of hygiene management in general. The analysis found significant differences in the knowledge of technical managers and owner‐managers, with the latter often unaware of the existence of audited standards. It is argued, therefore, that, in order to increase the implementation of good hygiene practices, further programmes to inform small food businesses about industry standards are required.

This paper aims to describe the process of developing, implementing and evaluating an innovative solution to enhance food safety and promote Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point-based food safety management techniques in small independent restaurants. It is the fifth article in a Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes theme issue presenting a comprehensive government strategy for improving food safety management standards across the hospitality industry.

This article outlines the essential design principles that were established by Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority for creating a food safety management system (FSMS) for independent restaurants, following international benchmarking and extensive in-depth local research. It charts the process of designing and approving the documents and records that make up the system, and identifies a methodology for implementation and evaluation.

Salamt Zadna, the FSMS developed, conveys risk-based food safety requirements through photographs communicating simple, practical steps. It minimises record-keeping with a picture-based diary and has an implementation strategy involving inspector support, after an extensive period of capacity building.

The article demonstrates an effective model for creating an FSMS for small businesses, along with the main components required and their impact on industry. It also includes details of a phased implementation strategy for achieving success in practice, utilising trained government inspectors. It will be of value to practitioners, researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders involved in the food industry.

The purpose of this paper is to report on the utility of a food hygiene management system training workshop and guidance pack to help small fast food businesses comply with new legal requirements.

A pre‐course questionnaire was used to determine knowledge and attitudes towards food safety management systems. Levels of compliance with best practice on operating hygiene management systems were assessed. A series of workshops were delivered and evaluated by means of a post‐course questionnaire.

Although some of the businesses had elementary prerequisite programmes in place prior to the workshop, there was limited understanding of the requirements of good hygiene practice and food safety management systems. There was little documentation and a low level of hygiene training. Trainees welcomed the practical guidance provided by the course and materials. Both were rated positively, with the highest satisfaction being demonstrated by those with traditional businesses that were best served by the sector specific training materials. Most of the businesses asserted that they would require additional support, if they were going to implement and document the system fully.

Small sample size.

Materials for use with small businesses need to be specifically developed for each industry sector, as businesses have little ability to produce their own documentation. Training and support materials need to be jargon free with information on good hygiene practices in addition food hygiene management materials.

Adds to the debate on the best methods to be used to assist small food businesses comply with new legislation.

The Bureau of Economics in the Federal Trade Commission has a three-part role in the Agency and the strength of its functions changed over time depending on the preferences and ideology of the FTC’s leaders, developments in the field of economics, and the tenor of the times. The over-riding current role is to provide well considered, unbiased economic advice regarding antitrust and consumer protection law enforcement cases to the legal staff and the Commission. The second role, which long ago was primary, is to provide reports on investigations of various industries to the public and public officials. This role was more recently called research or “policy R&D”. A third role is to advocate for competition and markets both domestically and internationally. As a practical matter, the provision of economic advice to the FTC and to the legal staff has required that the economists wear “two hats,” helping the legal staff investigate cases and provide evidence to support law enforcement cases while also providing advice to the legal bureaus and to the Commission on which cases to pursue (thus providing “a second set of eyes” to evaluate cases). There is sometimes a tension in those functions because building a case is not the same as evaluating a case. Economists and the Bureau of Economics have provided such services to the FTC for over 100 years proving that a sub-organization can survive while playing roles that sometimes conflict. Such a life is not, however, always easy or fun.

This paper aims to explore the particular dilemma of achieving international best practice and regulatory compliance for food safety in small local restaurants with limited resources, low levels of literacy and no common language. It is the fourth article in a Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes theme issue presenting a comprehensive government strategy for improving food safety management standards across the hospitality industry.

The article outlines extensive industry fieldwork involving on-site observations and interviews, undertaken by researchers from the relevant cultural backgrounds to identify common practices and specific risks, and facilitate targeted interventions.

As expected, the independent restaurant sub-sector in Abu Dhabi is similar to international norms, with the additional challenge of language and literacy. In-depth on-site observations reveal a range of high-risk situations and practices, which require specific solutions from government to raise food safety levels.

This article clarifies the scale and nature of the independent restaurant sub-sector of hospitality businesses, and uses in-depth, culturally appropriate research to identify the reality of food safety practices, major risks and areas for improvement. It identifies a list of 18 practices found in small hospitality businesses, which if controlled would make a significant difference to food safety.

The article will be of value to practitioners, researchers, policy makers and other stakeholders involved in the food industry.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the current status of HACCP across the food chain with particular reference to the hospitality industry. It is the first article in the second Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes issue of the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management presenting a new method of HACCP for the hospitality industry and proof of its utility.

An extensive review of HACCP literature is presented with an in‐depth analysis of both established and innovative methodologies. It is set in the context of both international efforts to meet the needs of small and less developed businesses (SLDBs) and recent UK Government initiatives.

Research confirms anecdotal evidence that whilst HACCP development is widespread in large food manufacturers its use is limited within smaller businesses, with particularly slow progress in the hospitality sector. Recent in‐depth psychological methods have led to the identification of 11 implementation barriers that need to be addressed if businesses are to meet the ever‐demanding legal requirements. It is suggested that the method of applying HACCP principles, developed for large manufacturing businesses, is inappropriate for the hospitality industry and that a new method is required.

The paper will be of value to practitioners, researchers, policy makers and other stakeholders involved in the food industry.

This paper is the most comprehensive review, to date, of HACCP uptake across the food industry and the barriers that businesses are experiencing as they attempt to manage food safety and comply with legal requirements.

This paper aims to investigate the economic impacts of the current coronavirus disease, which is globally known as (COVID-19) pandemic, on small businesses in the tourism and hospitality industry, including food and beverages (F&B) industries in Malaysia during and after the enforcement of the Movement Control Order (MCO) and conditional (CMCO) with the emergence of new business models.

In this paper, the implemented methodology involved a secondary qualitative research design based mainly on the existing literature, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reports, the government’s documents, in addition to online sources and observations regarding local business experiences.

The findings revealed that implementing effective strategies of recovery, shaping resilience solutions and supporting policies such as the National Recovery Plan, which is backed by the government played a pivotal role in avoiding the turndown of small businesses.

This critical review is submitted as an original research paper, which aims to provide important perspectives regarding the COVID-19 pandemic impacts on the tourism and hospitality industry in Malaysia. This paper serves as a scholarly platform for further in-depth studies on various resilience solutions of small businesses.

The purpose of this review was to assess the guidance packs provided by local authorities to small food businesses in Wales to assist them comply with new food safety legislation.

Three guidance packs that are widely used in Wales were assessed. The review covers the provision in the guidance packs of hazard analysis templates, worked examples, information on documenting/auditing good hygiene practices, events that should trigger a review of the system and guidance on the extent/level of record keeping.

The packs provided simple information on a harmonised hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) based system of food hygiene management and good hygiene practices. They had templates for documentation, some had worked examples and there were sample record forms. There was insufficient guidance given on the extent/level of paperwork and records required by different sized businesses.

The results of this review suggest that while the guidance packs have many positive attributes, they also have many shortcomings. In part this relates to the fact that they were devised prior to the new legal requirements.

The packs in use lack important practical guidance on the level/extent of documentation and record keeping. Some of these deficiencies can be remedied by supplementing the packs with materials produced by the other Food Standards Agency (FSA) agencies.

There is no published evaluation of guidance packs in Wales. The steering group should be encouraged to undertake this work and to produce a national guidance pack.