NT NETWORK
PANAJI
Goan bakers, locally known as ‘poders,’ may soon have to register their bicycles, which are used to sell pao or bread, with the local bodies with proper display of the registration number and name of the bakery.
A proposal regarding this was submitted by Goa Civic and Consumer Action Network (GOACAN) to North Goa Collector during a joint meeting convened on Wednesday with licensing authorities like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), director of municipal administration as well as civil supplies, legal metrology and health department. The directorate of panchayats, however, failed to attend the meeting, which deliberated on bakery hygiene and food safety measures. The joint committee meeting headed by the North Goa Collector discussed the proposal in detail and recommended that an action taken report be submitted after it was found that many illegal bakeries are operating in the state with no registration with the FDA and local bodies.
The Collector said that all the concerned departments should coordinate for an effective and efficient quality system to be followed by the bakeries in the state. The next meeting is scheduled to be held on December 21.
The civil supplies department has decided to soon commence a joint drive with licensing authorities after the minutes of the meeting get finalised. The drive will mainly focus on registration, quality check and hygienic condition of the bakeries and bakers.
“It has been the practice that a ‘poder’ goes round the villages from door to door on a bicycle with a basketful of breads and sells them. However, we don’t know from which bakery the bread comes and whether it is registered with the FDA and whether the bakery follows food safety and quality measures to build and maintain trust of consumers,” said consumer activist Roland Martins during the meeting.