Pereyra: “IRAM certification gave added value to the organization. “

Chef Gourmet is a gastronomic company that specializes in the preparation of corporate meals. Recently, the organization added the IRAM Seal of Verified COVID- 19 Protocol to its Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certification. We interviewed its Quality Manager, Natalia Pereyra, to learn more about the way in which this certification allows them to build trust with their customers and collaborators.

-In less than one month, together with a group of experts, we gathered the knowledge of national and foreign official documents and prepared the EDP IRAM 3820 so that companies can create a COVID-19 Protocol. To what extent did this implementation help you take care of the health of employees and customers?

–With the beginning of the pandemic, information was constantly changing and, therefore, the protocol was also subject to such changes. There was a lot of information at national and international level. Therefore, having it consolidated in the EDP IRAM 3820 helped us standardize our way of working and thus obtain a clear guideline to achieve the company’s objective, to avoid massive contagions and, in this way, to guarantee 100% production.

-You have recently gone a step further and achieved IRAM Seal of Approval for the Verified COVID-19 Protocol on the basis of this EDP. Before contacting us, what problems did you encounter when applying the protocol? Why did you choose us to carry out this process?

–As a GMP-certified food company, we had certain hygiene practices in place, such as the mandatory wearing of a mask, hand washing, sanitizing fruits and vegetables, disinfection of areas, etc., so applying the protocol did not cause us any major inconveniences.

We chose to certify with IRAM because we had already been working for almost 5 years under IRAM 14201:2007 certification and we felt it was a huge commitment to obtain this seal, both to reassure employees that they were coming to work in a safe place and to reassure customers.

-How were we able to help you and how was the overall certification experience? Do you think that taking this step allows you to build trust among your target audiences?

–Without a doubt, certifying with IRAM gave added value to the organization; it allowed us to give our customers greater peace of mind. One can be very sure of the processes carried out, but certifying them always builds even greater confidence. The best thing was the result with the employees, who really felt content, reassured and committed to working in a company that did not set limits to protect them.

-Once you achieved the IRAM seal, what benefits do you notice and what is the impact on your organization? Would you recommend this certification to other organizations?

–Customers were constantly writing to us asking about the protocol that was being applied in the company. Once the seal was achieved, any uncertainty was gradually eased and the response was 100% positive. We fully recommend this certification; it is an easy tool to apply and the result obtained is even better.