Kerala’s bakery industry is gearing up for Christmas, with increased production and sales of cakes and other bakery items, despite fears of adulteration and concerns about the quality of raw material and ingredients used (some of which are banned). The state government has issued a caution notice urging bakery producers to take the necessary steps to ensure safe food during the festival.
“It has been observed that some of the raw material and ingredients, including colours, used to bake cakes across Kerala are either not permitted or not within the permissible limits. Bakers must maintain receipts and registers of all the raw material and ingredients used,” it said, informing that special squads had been formed in every district to conduct inspections.
The notice, signed by Kerala’s food safety commissioner, warned of strict action against those found violating the rules. However, bakers have denied the occurrence of adulteration in the state, and said that Christmas shopping had already commenced, adding that the sales of baked items, especially cakes, have gone up across Kerala. They were expected to be at their peak for the next two weeks.
Jagan Thomas, managing director, Thomson Bakers, said, “Christmas is the most crucial season for the bakery sector. The sales of cakes sales break records every year. Even this year’s demand is high. Shopping actually commences a week before Christmas, reaches its peak on December 23 and 24, and ends after New Year’s Day. It is not uncommon for the sector to earn more than a year’s profit in the festive month alone.”
“Kerala has over 10,000 production units, employing lakhs of people. The government’s about the use of non-permitted or inferior ingredients by the bakery sector is not true. It is growing across India because of the quality and variety of products it offers customers. At Christmas, the consumer demand for baked items is unpredictable, but we are usually able to meet it, because the shelf life of our products is low.”
P M Sankaran, state president, Bakers’ Association of Kerala (Bake), said, “It has been alleged that we use inferior ingredients in the bakery industry, but we deny that. Bake is on a mission to offer its customers colourless and healthy bakery products. The bakery industry is well-established in Kerala, and its offerings are widely accepted across the state.”
“But small-scale and unbranded bakery products need a push to ensure the development of those segments. Owing to quality concerns, many choose branded products over unbranded ones. This may adversely affect the small and medium-sized enterprises and their workers. The current market is promising, and in the future, growth can be expected in both the domestic and foreign markets,” he added.
