THE outlook is certainly healthy for a food company with an outlet in Bury.

For Jean's Health Foods have won the coveted Investors in People award.

The company was established 14 years ago by Jean Sharples when the health food industry was still in its infancy.

Now, together with her husband Martyn, Jean runs an outlet in the Market Hall, Bury, as well as two others in Bolton and the Trafford Centre, employing a total of 14 staff.

The business development award recognises excellent employee development at the company, which specialises in high quality health foods and vitamin supplements.

A combination of in-house training and examinations with the Health Foods Training Council ensures that all members of staff are highly trained and have a wide-ranging product knowledge that enables them to assist and advise customers. And managers have also been encouraged to gain recognised management qualifications.

Jean Sharples has been a practising homeopath for nine years and is the only person in Britain to hold a qualification from the International Academy of Classical Homeopathy where she studied with Nobel prizewinner George Vithoulkas.

She said: "Good training is absolutely vital because we are dealing with people's health and must know exactly what we are doing.

"We keep up to speed with every development and each shop is equipped with computers, showing the latest research so customers can find out exactly which remedy works for them."

She added: "Achieving Investors in People has helped to make us a more professional company and has made us focus on the business.

"It is an important recognition that we invest in our staff and it will help us recruit and keep the right employees," Jean concluded.