National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has decried the lack of commitment to standard by members of the Association of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria (AMBCN) in bread making.
The NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Moji Adeyeye, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at a one-day sensitisation workshop for bread producers in FCT.
Represented by Mrs Clementina Anyakkora, NAFDAC Director in FCT, Adeyeye said that the agency’s surveillance activities and routine inspections discovered the lack of commitment by most bakers to good hygiene practices, especially in bread making.
She said that the lack of good hygiene practices made it necessary for the agency to collaborate with relevant stakeholders through workshops and grassroots sensitisation to ensure compliance in that regard.
She explained that “the illegal use of potassium bromate and other unapproved condiments in bread has been of concern to food safety.
“Effective protection of over 170 million consumers against cancer requires consistent preventive management approach, as bread is one of stable foods in Nigeria.
“It is expected that all regulatory interventions are employed to ensure that bakeries produce safe bread for consumption.”
The NAFDAC boss, therefore, urged bakery owners in the FCT and the country at large to comply with good hygiene practices, principles and other regulatory requirements.
The FCT Chairman of AMBCN, Mr Ishaq Abdulraheem, appealed to regulatory agencies to create an enabling environment that would make the business to thrive.
According to him, the issue of multiple taxations from regulatory agencies has been affecting the growth of the business.
He said “the issue of multiple taxations is killing our business; we are investing in FCT because there is no industry in FCT that has employers like a bakery.
“Many bakeries in FCT have been victims of one challenge or the other and some of these problems are caused by members; we are working towards educating members on modern standards.
“We are appealing to NAFDAC to give offenders time by way of warning, rather than shutting the bakery because the closure will increase unemployment in the country.”
He also appealed to NAFDAC to regulate other bakeries outside the FCT to check any malpractices.