Catering is one of Britain’s most important industries. In order to support Britain’s bustling catering industry numerous associations have been established. Some associations specialise in specific areas of catering whereas others relate to the industry as a whole.

To help you with any catering queries we have provided information about some of Britain’s main catering associations and how they can help you.

The British Hospitality Association has been established for 90 years as an authority informing businesses within the hospitality industry. Amongst its many members the BHA assists hotels, restaurant managers and catering companies by acting as a spokesperson representing their views in parliament.

The BHA helps its members by drawing attention to key issues in parliamentary discussions and making sure that new regulations are beneficial for the catering industry. The BHA also handles public relations and communicates with the media about any significant issues with the catering industry.

As well as supporting Britain the BHA also helps represent members in other areas of Europe. The BHA acts on behalf of almost forty thousand businesses representing in excess of half a million employees of the catering industry.

The Association of Catering Excellence (or ACE for short) is a new body established in early 2006. The ACE was previously known as the British division of the European Catering Association, assisting caterers in Britain with communication and drawing attention to key issues.

The ACE aims to help and encourage members of the catering industry at all levels gain their full potential. This includes providing support to personnel involved in all areas of catering from students, employees and suppliers to contractors and managers.

The ACE aims to promote awareness of key issues within the catering industry by giving people the opportunity to network and share ideas. The ACE holds bi-monthly events, public debates on key issues, an annual conference and other social events.

The Hospital Caterers Association strives to maintain and improve standards of catering in hospitals throughout Britain and Northern Ireland. The HCA has been established for over fifty years and currently has more than 400 members.

The HCA assists its members by improving standards for employees in the hospital catering industry and drawing attention to relevant issues which affect its members. The HCA also focuses on career development and making its members aware of further education and training opportunities. This is achieved by holding regular meetings covering related issues, seminars and short courses of study at the HCA’s offices.

The HCA has 17 branches that cover Britain allowing people form different areas to exchange views of current issues. Demonstrations and exhibitions of new products and services are showcased in the branches as well as competitions, an annual conference and various opportunities for social events.