The officials have been inspecting the factories which are involved with baking to check whether the bakeries are maintaining the required hygiene and that notices were being issued to those bakeries at fault to improve their standards.
Nahoum's is one of the oldest and the iconic Jewish bakeries in the city.
HIGHLIGHTS
The city is known for its age-old bakeries which have been running since the British India
Deputy Mayor Atin Ghosh said they have collected 17 samples of fresh cake and bread loaves from the stores
KMC has instructed the bakeries not to compromise with the quality of the products
With Christmas and the New Year right round the corner, the bakeries in Kolkata are facing the toughest time in recent history even during the best selling season.
Kolkata, which is famous for its traditional Bengali sweets, is also known for its age-old bakeries which have been running since the British ruled over India.
With the upcoming festivities, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has geared up to see that the people of the city don't fall sick.
Recently, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation Health Department inspected some of the city's well-known bakeries including the iconic Flury's and the Kookie Jar.
Deputy Mayor Atin Ghosh said they collected 17 samples of fresh cake and bread loaves from these stores.
He explained that his team of officials has been inspecting the factories which are involved with baking to check whether the bakeries are maintaining the required hygiene and that notices were being issued to those bakeries at fault to improve their standards.
Nahoum's, which is one of the oldest and the iconic Jewish bakeries in the city, received a notice from the officials for the same after they were inspected ahead of the Christmas.
The deputy Mayor said, "They need to follow the law or else a case will be fined against them and they will be jailed too."
"Since then, Nahoum's hygienic condition is much better today," he added.
During the inspection, the officials said, "We visited many cake shops in the city including Nahoum's, Kathleen, and some other cake shops. We found that the cake mixing was being done without any gloves and no hand sanitizer was used before the mixing."
The KMC has instructed the bakeries to not compromise with the quality of the products, to maintain the hygiene, and improve the working condition in the factories.
If they fail to follow the instructions, they will be charged under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006.
More than 10 lakh people are associated with the business with 4,000 bakeries across the state producing tonnes of cakes during the Christmas season.
Idris Ali, All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP and Secretary of Joint Action Committee of West Bengal Bakers Associations said that the industry was going through tough a time and sudden regulations would add to the difficulties.
He said, "Bakery industry is facing difficulties due to GST. We pay 18% GST on cakes and biscuits. The linesmen selling cakes and bakeries bring the revenue in coins in thousands and lakhs. But when we take these coins to the bank, they refuse to take them which is causing us too many difficulties."
Adding that the recent raid has shown that some baker do not follow the baking process and do not maintain the hygiene, he said, "I request the bakery owners to follow the rules strictly and maintain the hygiene."
Talking about maintaining fair prices, Idris Ali said, "These goods and bakeries produced are not just for the rich but also the poor. So, we must take care of the prices and weight of the bakeries we sell. We must not cheat the common people."
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