BY NDUMBE BELL GASTON IN DOUALA
A confidence building workshop on food safety hygiene was organised by Nestlé Cameroon on Thursday February 22 at their Bonaberi Factory, to constantly assure the public, consumers and business partners alike that their production standards are being maintained and even improved upon as time goes on.
Presentations were made by experts in the domains of Nestlé Cameroon’s contributions to nutrition, health and well-being of the population by Madam Barbara Wettstein of Nestlé Communication and Public Relations department who organized the workshop, the quality and food safety in Nestlé by officials of the quality assurance department, the regulation on the ethical aspects of quality in Cameroon by a representative of ANOR, on what ISO certifications is all about by officials of the Societe Generale de Surveillance (SGS) and other issues.
The bone of contention was identified to be that even though SGS and their importance to quality analysis to Nestlé is very important, journalists pondered why an organization like SGS was found not to have the mandate or power to sanction those found to be wanting, but only had the responsibility to constantly improve quality standards.
Some functions discharged by SGS were misunderstood, but a cross-section of media practitioners still wondered that even if SGS could not directly sanction those who disrespected quality standards, they could recommend to others to consider sanctions based on results of their analysis.
In another activity, journalists clad in hygienic and sanitation costumes visited all the production and laboratory departments, in strict hygienic conditions like the washing of hands and prevented from certain spaces, in order to see things for themselves and ask questions.
The Factory Manager Mr. Fall disclosed that exports are done to CEMAC. Total capacity of production in a month is up to 22.000 tons for all products that Nestlé Cameroon produces.