Aquafina bottler Al Jomaih receives ISO certification

Press release

Published May 12th, 2011 - 10:21 GMT

At a press conference and media tour of its bottling plant in Riyadh, Al Jomaih, the bottler of PepsiCo products including Aquafina, announced that that its plants in Riyadh and Qassim have received ISO (International Organization for Standardization) Certificate 22000:2005, which covers food safety management including manufacturing, bottling, storing and distributing carbonated soft drinks and bottled water.

Speaking at the press conference, Mr. Mohammed bin Hamad Al Jomaih, Assistant General Manager of Al Jomaih Bottling Plants, said: “Receipt of the ISO 22000:2005 Certificate (Management of Food Security) from the British NSF (National Sanitation Foundation) is assurance that the Aquafina plants are consistent with the technical regulations and international quality standards for manufacturing and bottling water.”

He went on to say: “Purity and high quality are our main priority and we have been awarded the ISO certificate after ensuring our factories are in full compliance with the international standards and conditions that are adopted by the international CMI organization for bottling Aquafina waters. This certificate is an honor we highly appreciate since it confirms Aquafina as a leading brand in the Saudi market.”

Adding his comments on the ISO award, Mr. Bassam Ali Alsadik, Franchise Manager – Saudi Arabia at PepsiCo GCC BU, said: “We congratulate our partners at Al Jomaih Bottling Plants on receiving ISO certification, which is globally accepted recognition for the highest standards of food and drinks safety. The purity of Aquafina water is guaranteed and this merit is clear authentication for the Hydro 7 purification process used in producing Aquafina bottled water.”

The ISO certificate is a continuation of Al Jomaih Bottling Plants achievements and follows the award in 2009 of the quality mark from Saudi Arabian Standards Organization (SASO) after passing all the quality tests and receiving the SASO Seal of Approval.

PepsiCo has historic and strategic relationships with Al Jomaih in a long-lasting partnership that enables them to consistently ensure the purity and quality of Aquafina and maintain the brand’s popular appeal.

Background Information

Al Jomaih Bottling

It was in 1936 that Al Jomaih Company saw the light when two brothers, Abdul Aziz and Mohammed Abdullah Al Jomaih founded a small trading establishment in the town of Shaqra. Four years later, keen to further expand the company’s activities, the brothers moved the hub of their business to Riyadh, embarking on an influential era of growth. With a dynamic entrepreneurial spirit and high commitment to quality and customer satisfaction, Al Jomaih Company was soon venturing into several business sectors in the Kingdom, to become a major conglomerate spanning all key consumer and industrial sectors, including automotive, heavy equipment, oil and gas, and real estate, to name only a few.

Company Profile

Pepsi Cola International

In 1965, Donald Kendall, the CEO of Pepsi-Cola, and Herman Lay, the CEO of Frito-Lay, recognized what they called “a marriage made in heaven,” a single company delivering perfectly-salty snacks served alongside the best cola on earth. Their vision led to what quickly became one of the world's leading food and beverage companies: PepsiCo.

For more than 50 years, as tastes, trends and lifestyles have changed, PepsiCo has evolved with them. Our willingness to adapt and grow has transformed our snack and soda company into a collection of global brands including Pepsi and Quaker, Gatorade and Tropicana, Frito-Lay and beyond. Today, PepsiCo is one of the world’s most-respected companies with products sold in more than 200 countries and territories and 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.