30 November 2020. Mercasa's chairman, José Ramón Sempere, today received the certificate granted by AENOR to Mercasa and the Mercas Network, for their adaptation to the safety and prevention protocols to combat COVID-19, at an event held at the company's headquarters, attended by Nicolás Henríquez, sales director at AENOR.
Mercasa is the first company in the SEPI Group to receive this certification. The company´s relevance is reinforced by its extension to the Mercas Network and in whose facilities around 100,000 commercial transactions take place daily, with a movement of about 60,000 vehicles and 80,000 people each day.
Right from the start of the COVID-19 health crisis, Mercasa and its Network of 23 Mercas implemented adequate procedures in record time, with the objective of ensuring the safe conditions of the operators' daily activity without any disruptions to the service provision, thereby guaranteeing the uninterrupted supply of fresh food throughout Spain.
These efforts have now been recognised by the certification from AENOR, who as part of the certification process assessed a wide range of aspects, including risk management and occupational health and safety; the training, information and communication actions carried out; the organisational and protective measures put in place (control of capacity and soial distancing), use of PPE, etc., as well as good cleaning and hygiene practices.
All of this, adapted to the national, international and sectoral protocols, in compliance with the guidelines set by the Ministry of Health and the National Institute of Safety and Hygiene at Work; the certification covers both Mercasa's administrative offices and its Network of 23 Mercas, as well as the facilities where the business activity is carried out, the wholesale markets and slaughterhouses.
The chairman of Mercasa, José Ramón Sempere, noted that the AENOR certification "is the best demonstration of the commitment of Mercasa and the Mercas Network with the highest demands for prevention and safety in COVID-19 protocols, in an activity that proved essential from the onset of the health crisis to guarantee the operation of the food chain in Spain. "
Nicolás Henríquez, Sales Director at AENOR, stated that "the health crisis poses a major challenge that requires the involvement of companies to generate peace of mind and safety more than ever. In this sense, rigorous certification and evaluation by an independent third party implies a serious and cross-cutting approach such as that carried out by Mercasa and the Mercas Network. This endorsement translates into a message of credibility and transparency to the company's customers and staff thanks to its solvent and now certified protocols."
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