Training courses for food safety management staff started in Beijing on June 19.

Staff from some 200 restaurants in the capital will be given courses during the two-day training sessions on operation specifications, food safety regulations and development trends of the catering industry, said Xu Jinghe, head of the Department of Food Safety Supervision at the State Food and Drug Administration.

"As members of the public are getting more and more concerned about food safety issues, it is necessary to enhance the supervision of the government and the companies' self-discipline," Xu said.

According to a report by the Chinese Cuisine Association, the catering industry in China exceeded 2 trillion yuan in revenues last year for the first time.

However, food safety regulations are not always followed.

"It's necessary to enhance awareness among the employees of the industry," Xu said.

Further training will be conducted in July in Harbin, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province.