"In order to be sure of the quality of the product, we spent about 450,000 manats on laboratory tests last year alone."

Undoubtedly, everyone is interested in both price and quality when shopping.

Especially when buying food, the issue of quality comes to the fore.

But how can we be sure that these products are of good quality?

Is the price really proportional to the quality?

Anar Cumshudov, the Business Support Director of Veysaloglu Group of Companies and has extensive experience in the field of quality control, spoke about interesting points.

- Mr. Anar, how can we be sure of its quality while buying products from the market?

Is it possible to check the quality of these products?

- First of all, what do we think about when we meet a new person?

To his appearance.

The same impression is made about the food.

What do I mean by product appearance?

Information about the product's quality can be obtained by looking at the form of packaging or packaging, label information, temperature regime and storage conditions.

As a general rule of thumb, if there is no visible defect in appearance and the product has not expired, we can be 99% sure that the quality is guaranteed.

In addition, the products sold in our stores meet the requirements set by the Azerbaijan State Food Safety Agency (AQTA).

- How important is this issue for the company you work for?

- Of course, every business works for income.

But we are also responsible to our customers.

In addition, we also have a role in the important mission of the country's food security.

Understanding this responsibility, we have created a dedicated Quality Control team in our company.

Look, we're all human and we're all parents.

Therefore, the main measurement criterion for us is simple: we do not sell products that we do not feed at home, to our family members and children.

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By the way, how is the quality ensured in the markets belonging to the company you work for?

- We understand not only retail, but all links of the supply chain.

This means that we can control the entire process from production to sale.

Not only at the Group level, every supermarket chain has a Quality Control team, and the people who work here understand the importance of what they do.

- You said that the quality is controlled.

But how are these principles applied in practice?

- I would not like to get too technical here.

But to put it simply, every product that enters our stores is tested in the laboratory and meets state standards.

As an example, I can say that the laboratory expenses for the Veysaloglu Group of Companies last year alone for providing our customers with quality food were close to 450 thousand manats.

- How is the professional development of your quality control team

organized?

- Quality control is a team effort and each of us works continuously in this direction.

Despite our busy schedule, we also find time to improve our knowledge.

Currently, our team participates in training and educational events in the field of food safety.

Most of such events are organized by the Azerbaijan State Food Safety Agency.

What does participation in these conferences give us?

We deepen our knowledge of food safety innovations, best practices, legislation, and process organization in all aspects from production to consumption.

- The cheap price of the product can sometimes cause doubt.

Our people have a proverb: "There is no soup for cheap meat."

Is the price really proportional to the quality?

- In general, choosing a product based on the principle of "The more expensive, the better" is not always justified.

The selling price of the product is affected by the demand-supply ratio, geopolitical events, social unrest, climate and natural events, the emergence of new markets and other factors.

It is for these reasons that sometimes there is a significant difference in prices when there is not much difference in quality.

We created the "Private brand" project so that customers can get quality products at a reasonable price in the markets belonging to our Group of Companies.

Here, it is possible to achieve affordable prices due to the fact that the manufacturer's marketing costs are not high, as well as the fact that the product is produced locally, which means that transportation costs are low.

- Let's talk about approaches related to the quality of domestic and foreign products.

- Sometimes buyers prefer products imported from abroad when choosing products.

This is usually attributed to high quality standards in foreign countries.

I myself do not agree with this idea.

The main advantage of the local product is that it is possible to buy this product "first hand".

This makes it possible to deliver products to our customers in a fresh way.

We are responsible for the quality of both foreign and domestic products sold in our stores.

- Is it possible to touch open products in the market?

If so, what are the risks?

- In general, there are quite serious risks of touching open products.

For example, if we touch raw meat and meat products and unwashed fruits and vegetables, germs are at risk and can cause us to contract diseases.

Therefore, I recommend that you contact the store staff when choosing outdoor products.

Because our sellers periodically undergo medical examinations and use hygienic means.

- But can customers unknowingly damage the quality of the product?

- Yes, often customers damage products unintentionally during shopping.

Sometimes, during the selection of fruit and vegetable products, they touch them to check the hardness or softness of the varieties, thereby unknowingly crushing the products or leaving fingernail marks on them.

At this time, the product begins to deteriorate or lose its appearance from the place of damage.

In all cases, we immediately remove damaged products from the showcase.

- Recently, the concept of "cold chain" has been used a lot in the field of food safety, what exactly does this expression mean?

- According to food safety rules, the process that must be followed at all stages, starting from the production of food to be stored in a cold place, to its transportation, storage and sale, is called "cold chain".

One of our priorities is effective cold chain management.

In fact, this is the only way to ensure quality.

In general, we always think about the quality of the products we sell.

What is important here is that the supply chain, that is, the process of transporting and storing products, is set up correctly.

In order to ensure that the products in our stores are always fresh and of good quality, we have decided to create our own cold storage to expand the capabilities of our logistics center.

It is planned to put the logistics center into operation by the end of this year, with an investment of more than 28 million.

- Speaking of the cold chain, let me ask a question.

Can we be sure that the refrigerator where milk and other products are stored in the markets is working?

- Of course.

For your information, the actual temperature indicator is displayed on the display of the refrigerator in stores.

If this number is not visible, it means that this device is not working or has a malfunction.

In addition, the temperature indicators of refrigerators are checked by the market staff at certain hours during the day and recorded on a special table.

That table is posted in a visible place for customers.

- What should we do if we come across a low-quality product in the market?

- In such cases, please inform the personal staff of the store.

If the inconsistency was not identified during shopping in the market, in other words, if it was discovered later, then you can apply through the hotline ("Araz" supermarket chain: (012) 924; "OBA" supermarket chain: *2016).

Even in market networks, educational messages about this are played through internal radio.

Based on customer requests addressed to our Group of Companies, the quality indicators of the complained product are re-examined, the source of the problem is determined, and preventive measures are taken to prevent such situations from occurring in the future.

We also strive to achieve customer satisfaction.

- How is the work of educating consumers about the quality of products carried out?

- During the purchase of food products, customers often have questions about their quality.

Through social networks, we inform our buyers about the quality of the product, and urge them to be more careful when shopping.

Veysaloglu Group of Companies started a new project to educate our society and the expert community on these and other topics.

We touch on food quality, supply chain, customer rights, healthy lifestyle and other topics in the "Yakşı ki dedin" program broadcasted on "ASAN Radio" every Tuesday at 18:05.

Our main goal is fair trade and customer satisfaction.

In general, there is a perception in the retail business that if we can achieve customer satisfaction, then everything is fine with the quality.