The Agency urged bakers of bread and other confectioneries to uphold ethical, safe and professional standards while producing their products.
It stated that if they cannot give the same to their family members to consume, then they should not make such bread and confectioneries available for the general public to consume.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, disclosed this at a stakeholders’ meeting with the Association of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria, Lagos State Chapter.
Lafiya360 reports that the NAFDAC chieftain stressed that the Agency will not compromise on the quality of bread, a staple food amongst Nigerians, being produced for the consumers.
According to a statement by NAFDAC’s Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola, “The NAFDAC boss who was represented by the Director, Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FSAN), Mrs Eva Edwards, noted that the Agency was sensitive to the increasing costs of ingredients in the production of bread, but that this should not be an excuse to undermine the safety and quality of the products thereby endangering the lives of consumers in the process.
“The overall objective of Good Hygiene Practices (GHP) in the food processing sector including bakeries, quick service restaurants is to ensure the safety of the food from the starting materials to the final products.
“Good hygiene practices must be strictly adhered to from the beginning to the end of the production process, stressing that the finished products should not be exposed to the ravaging onslaught of rats and other pests in the Lagos metropolis.
“Food raw materials/ingredients that are not properly sealed, compromised packaging, infested by rodents or their droppings and not adequately labelled should not be used.
“Medical tests should be conducted periodically to ensure personnel do not harbor any diseases that could be transmitted through food. Food handlers are also not expected to work with open wounds.
“Production facilities should not be sited in locations that can compromise the safety and quality of the finished products, such as near a cemetery or directly opposite a toilet or soakaway.”
The Acting Chairman of the Association of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria, Lagos State Chapter, Mr Matthew Ayoola, commended the initiative of NAFDAC by engaging his members on the way forward with their businesses.
He pledged that his members would use the knowledge imparted to them at the engagement to further enhance the quality of their products in the State.
He, however, disclosed that his Association had set up a task force with a view to bringing forward any recalcitrant members to NAFDAC for necessary guidance towards compliance with the regulations, and sanctions as deemed necessary by the Agency.