The Nigerian Bottling Company Limited (NBC) has reiterated its commitment to product quality and integrity, pledging that this would remain the gold standard of its operations.

Country General Manager, NBC, Matthieu Seguin, affirmed this on Tuesday while speaking during the company's 2020 Stakeholders Forum themed 'Product Quality and Integrity: Challenges and Opportunities' held virtually.

The webinar featured key contributions by the Vice President, Quality, Safety and Environment, The Coca-Cola Company, Zoltan Syposs; Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Moji Adeyeye, and Chief Executive Officer, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), Babatunde Irukera.

Seguin explained that quality remains the hallmark of NBC's operations and that of its sister company, Coca-Cola Nigeria, adding that they would continuously engage with stakeholders.

“At NBC, we understand that only products and services valued and accepted by our customers and consumers will deliver business for us. We are committed to driving our business forward by continually improving quality control across the organisation, working together with Coca-Cola Nigeria, local authorities, partners, suppliers, customers and consumers,” he said.

Seguin disclosed that a survey NBC conducted earlier in the year showed that product quality and integrity ranked highest among the demands of its stakeholders, hence its decision to continue prioritising it.

“Our commitment to quality and integrity is from production to delivery. Everyone at NBC works hard to procure the finest ingredient, equipment and services from some of the industry's most respected suppliers. We also complement this with our state of the art local production and distribution system,” Seguin said.

He added that the NBC achieves the highest product quality and integrity through compliance with local and international standards, certification of its systems, auditing and regular feedback from customers.

“We keep the line of communication open to our consumers for regular feedback which we get a lot, and this also guarantees the prompt resolution of complaints they may have. As the world evolves and consumers’ preferences change, we believe in continuous improvement of our system.”

Syposs said that The Coca-Cola System was building a total beverage company and that it would continue to maintain the highest product quality to further earn consumers’ trust.

In their presentations, Professor Adeyeye and Irukera both stressed the importance of product quality and integrity, noting that it helps in sustaining brand loyalty vital for profitability.

They both commended NBC for its conscious self-regulation and internal audit, noting that this explains why consumers trust the company's products.