Quality is understood as the set of characteristics of either a product or a service, which has the ability to satisfy the needs and expectations of a user or customer.
In this sense, quality certifications are related to the prior establishment of a standard or reference between all parties that have an interest in a product, such as suppliers, buyers and users, or governments, among others. In this way, once a consensus is reached on the basic and minimum characteristics that a product or service must have, the certification is reached.
Thus, quality certification will be the result of a process in which a series of qualified auditors from an accredited certification body guarantee that a product or a management system conforms to the characteristics of the standard that has been taken as reference.
In this sense, there are many and varied certification standards, depending on the objective being pursued. And, hence, many companies decide to resort to a consultancy to advise them on the certifications that would be most effective and the requirements to obtain them, such as the Almeria company Ares Consultores.
Among them, we can find the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 9001, which certifies a quality management system and allows to demonstrate the commitment of an organization to quality and customer satisfaction; as well as the ISO 14.001 standard, related to Environmental Management Systems, among others. Likewise, in Spain, AENOR (Spanish Association for Standardization and Certification) is an important entity in terms of the certification of both management systems, as well as products and services, as well as being responsible for the dissemination of the UNE standards. (A Spanish Standard).
Among these UNE standards, some stand out, such as UNE 155,000 regarding certificates of protocols for the Horticultural Sector, UNE 175.001 for Quality of Service systems for Small Businesses, or UNE 182.001 for Hotel Services and tourist apartments, among others.
Likewise, there are other types of private standards or protocols of large distribution chains, vital in the commercialization of fruit and vegetable products in European markets and which are essential for the export of our products to countries such as Germany or England., at the same time that they can be decisive for the final success of an agricultural campaign in the many marketing companies in our province. These protocols, among which are the British Retail Consortium (BRC), International Food Standard (IFS), GLOBAL GAP, Nature's Choice or Quality Security (QS), among others, require continuous audits and inspections to ensure the traceability of products from the farmer's farm to the points of sale and that said product does not exceed the maximum residue limits (MRLs) allowed for each product.
On the other hand, quality certifications provide confidence to the client, the consumer and the suppliers, since in an increasingly competitive market they represent a differentiation from other competing companies, while improving the image of the products or the services it offers, and the reputation and image of the company itself. Likewise, quality certifications help the company gain market share and gain access to foreign markets, some of which already request these certifications to allow access.
But, in addition, quality is a basic element not only for the competitiveness of organizations and companies, but also of countries and regions, hence the appearance, for example, of tourism quality systems.
