A consumer brand is only as good as its value chain. In today’s day and age, ensuring a sustainable and quality source for raw materials used to manufacture products is even more crucial to maintain the integrity and excellence of a brand.
In Pakistan too, consumers are becoming ever so careful and self-aware about what they buy and consume. This increased self-awareness has also led to debates around the quality of the products and the value chain that these products go through. Because the average consumer has access to digital platforms and can make his/her concerns known, companies today have to be even more transparent about their operations and ensure high-quality standards.
Quality is of crucial importance in food items and there are very few companies, which care about the quality of their products and adhere to strict safety standards. Some brands go so far as to open their doors for individuals and regulators to come and inspect their manufacturing conditions. For example, we have seen McDonald’s and K& Ns open up their kitchens and manufacturing units respectively, for the regulator and the public to come and take a look at how they produce their products.
Nestlé undertook a similar step recently when it opened the doors of its manufacturing units and sites with visitors being amazed at the level of sophistication of processes and the safety checks that Nestlé has implemented, from sourcing to packaging of their products. Let’s see how these products scale up against the quality and consumption standards and what various experts have to say about it.
One of the great things about Nestlé is that it has always been very open about its quality standards and willing to demonstrate it to the public as well. Nestlé invited more than 2,000 stakeholders to their Sheikhupura factory. One of these was an esteemed stakeholder – Federal Minister for Science & Technology, Fawad Chaudhry who was amazed to see the great environment and safety check that Nestlé has for their products. Dr Mehwish Qalbani, Director Technical Sindh Food Authority and Zameer Ahmad, Director Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) also visited the factory and endorsed the safety and quality standards maintained in their products.
In order to protect consumer health and raise awareness regarding food safety, Nestlé Pakistan celebrated ‘World Food Safety Day’ at Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) Labs, Lahore. The event was organized in collaboration with Pakistan Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (PCSIR), Ministry of Science & Technology, Punjab Food Authority (PFA), University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF), University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Lahore (UVAS) and Pakistan Society of Food Scientists and Technologists (PSFST). The event brought to light the need for food safety regulation in Pakistan to ensure food quality and standards which protect the health of consumers.
Recently, the company launched its ‘iTrustNestlé’ campaign, which is aimed at reassuring consumers of the global quality standards being followed and the innovation that is led by Nestlé, in not only improving product value and quality but also in ensuring that their supply and value chain remains strong and up to the mark.
Nestlé has 27 research facilities around the globe and has conducted over 7,000 tests in foreign labs in 2018 to ensure the quality of their products. In addition, it did some 30 million quality tests in 2018 across Nestlé Pakistan’s value chain, which is a testimony of the manner in which the company prioritizes the quality of its products. In 2018, Nestlé Pakistan has invested over PKR 25 billion into Pakistan’s rural economy.
Companies such as Nestlé consistently bring value to its consumers through new and improved products. Dedicated to improving the quality of life of the public, Nestlé’s commitment is commendable.
