The Premium Breadmakers Association of Nigeria has firmly denied allegations that its members are compromising on bread quality due to the rising costs of baking ingredients.
This statement comes after the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control revealed that some bread sold in markets is failing laboratory tests because bakers are using saccharine instead of sugar.
During a recent stakeholders’ meeting in Ibadan, Mrs. Roseline Ajayi, NAFDAC’s Southwest Coordinator, expressed concerns about the issue. She stated, “Recently, we observed that bread sold in the markets is failing laboratory tests because producers are using saccharine due to the high cost of sugar. They are introducing ingredients that are not good for the health of the consumers.”
However, in an exclusive interview with Vanguard, PBAN President, Engr. Emmanuel Onuorah, strongly defended the association’s members. He said, “I can conveniently speak for PBAN members across Nigeria. PBAN members do not use unwholesome materials to produce our bread. We are very mindful of the quality of bread we produce for consumers, knowing the negative health implications of the use of unwholesome baking materials to bake bread.”
Onuorah emphasized that maintaining high standards is a priority for PBAN members, even if it means adjusting prices. “We would rather adjust the price of our bread to maintain quality, rather than use unwholesome material to produce bread that will cause health problems to Nigerians,” he stated.
He also highlighted that PBAN has a Compliance Unit that monitors the materials used by its members. Onuorah explained, “In PBAN, we have our Compliance Unit that monitors the materials that our members use to produce. Our constitution empowers the Exco to report any of our members found using unwholesome materials to bake bread to our regulator, NAFDAC.”
While defending the integrity of PBAN members, Onuorah acknowledged the challenges facing bread producers in Nigeria. He pointed out that the continuous increase in the prices of essential baking materials such as flour, sugar, ascorbic acid, bread softener, bread improver, egg, milk, and yeast remains a significant hurdle for breadmakers across the country.
