KOCHI, MAY 15:
The Bakers’ Association Kerala (Bake) is launching a campaign to promote the ethnic foods of Kerala, particularly snacks and short-eats, to help Kerala’s distinct tastes to survive the onslaught of Western fast foods.
Bake, which in the recent years have taken several steps to raise the hygiene standards of the baking industry, is organising a workshop for entrepreneurs willing to make and market traditional and ethnic food items. About 100 new home-based entrepreneurs, including housewives, are being invited to attend the workshop.
“We want women with culinary skills and aptitude to set up their own home-based units that can regularly supply the ethnic items to our bakeries,” VP Abdul Saleem, general secretary of the Ernakulam district unit of Bake, told Business Line. “This way, housewives’ culinary and entrepreneurial skills can be developed and the State’s ethnic foods, which are on the verge of vanishing, can be revived.”
Wide range
Saleem noted that Kerala has a wide range of ethnic foods. “The three regions of the State – Malabar, Kochi and Travancore – have distinct culinary traditions and ethnic dishes,” he said. “In fact, most villages have their own traditional dishes.”
For instance, Thalassery in northern Kerala was well-known for its exotic snacks and short-eats.
Workshop
The workshop will give work training, guidance in complying with hygiene norms of the Food Safety and Standards Authority and also how to establish brands out of the home-made snacks. Marketing will be a focus area. Bake will issue its label to the snack units.
Saleem said Bake’s ‘Goodbye to Colours’ campaign to discourage bakeries from adding harmful colours to snacks was a big success. Now the members of Bake are using only authorised colours, that too at minimum levels. Saleem said the drive to promote ethnic foods would be launched in all districts and a series of workshops would be held to introduce new entrepreneurs, particularly housewives, to the concept.
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