August 25, 2008 | 12:00am
Greenwich Pizza Corp. is poised to become the first food service and restaurant business in the Asia Pacific region to receive the ISO22000:2005 certification, also known as Food Safety and Management Systems. Once certified, the country’s leading pizza chain, with over 240 branches, will also have the most number of ISO-certified stores in the world and will also become the first quick-service restaurant to be recognized by the Swiss Accreditation Body (SAS), one of the most stringent standards accreditation bodies in the world.
The move to apply for ISO certification is part of the company’s thrust to continuously offer only the best quality of products and services to their customers. Already, Greenwich has upgraded its water analysis, air sampling and sterility testing services. Its quality control teams and store personnel are also currently undergoing training on the required systems, including workshops with Greenwich’s ISO-certified suppliers and partners. Apart from these, the stores follow the Hazard Analyses of Critical Control Points (HACCP) system that identifies possible operational hazards and determines a plan to minimize them.
During the launch of the company’s ISO bid, business unit heads and store managers had their first look at the new technologies and systems that will soon be integrated in the stores.
“We are constantly taking our goal of ensuring customer satisfaction and delight to higher levels. As a business, we continue to upgrade our technology and processes, and always push for improvement,” shares Mickey Gonzaga, Greenwich Restaurant Systems and Quality Management Director. “Receiving the ISO certification will be a major milestone and the company is committed to maintaining that honor.”
The pizza chain is coursing its application through SGS, the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company.
“To be an industry leader, a business must always think ahead. Being the first to pursue this certification, Greenwich is going in the right direction. Raising the benchmark higher pushes the whole industry to provide more and more value to customers, while making it tougher for competitors to enter,” says SGS regional operating headquarters chief executive officer Rosario Cajucom-Bradbury.
To date, there are about 3,500 companies in the world with ISO22000:2005 certification, 1,081 of which were certified by SGS. So far, only 12 companies in the Philippines share this recognition, with Greenwich set to be the first in the food service industry. After recently passing rigid audits, the first batch of Greenwich stores will be recommended by SGS with the Swiss SAS Accreditation for ISO22000:2005.
