By Idris Bakare
In a bid to ensure that cake bakers in Nigeria adhere to professional standards, the Nigerian Association of Cakes and Sugar Craft Professionals, NACSP, has called on stakeholders to ensure compliance in the quality of cake production.
Speaking at its stakeholders conference in Lagos, yesterday, President of NACP, Tosan Jemide, said there is a need to ensure consistency and competence by cake bakers, especially in the use of raw materials.
Jemide said the raw materials for baking that are locally sourced are usually mixed with fake and adulterated ones, making it hard for bakers to produce quality products.
“There is a huge increase in the number of consumers for the products that come out of this industry. Cakes, desserts and pastries are consumed in large quantities daily. The supply and sales of unwholesome materials endanger the health of consumers and impair the overall quality of the finished goods.
“It therefore behooves us to ensure that the quality of our inputs remain wholesome in order for us to churn out good and quality finished products. On several occasions, we have encountered cases of substandard products. Sometimes inedible items are passed off as edible.”
Speaking on the foreign exchange crisis, a Baker, Akan Peter, narrated how the depreciation of the naira has negatively affected the procurement of raw materials in other countries.
He said the current economic challenges in the country have also caused a sharp decline in the quality of many of the raw materials sourced locally.
“I want to start from forex. A lot of the raw materials that we use are imported. When you try to import these raw materials, you find out that the price that you use to bring it to the country has doubled in just two months,” he said.
“You are supposed to source foreign currency from banks. They will not easily give it to you. I have my naira in full value, but I cannot get dollars to bring raw materials into the country. You are now forced to get the raw materials locally.”
Furthermore, Director Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Directorate, represented by Mr. Dauda Jimoh, said, “We may not be able to identify inedible products, but we call on the public to assist us if any enterprise dealing in such is found.”
Other stakeholders at the conference included Assistant Director Head, Food Technology Product Certification Directorate, Mrs. Chidinma Ewuzie and Director General, Public Safety and Well-being, Lagos State Safety Commission, represented by Director, Public Safety and Well-being, Lagos State Safety Commission, Mr. Adeyinka Adebiyi.