Why cake bakers in Nigeria must ensure professionalism – NACSP

Daddy, where is my cake? That was the question Tomiwa, a little girl in Ajegunle, Lagos State asked her dad when she celebrated her birthday.

In Nigeria, events either big or small go hand in hand with a cake. As the demand for cakes has increased, so have the practitioners.

Gone are the days when people had a negative feeling about bakers. The increase in the number of well-read bakers and professional bodies has dispelled the thought that it is an occupation for dropouts or those with little to no education.

One such body that is currently regulating the activities of its members is the Nigerian Association of Cakes and Sugar Craft Professionals, NACSP, which is being presided over by none other than Mr. Tosan Jemide, who has over two decades of professional experience in baking.

Speaking at its stakeholders conference in Lagos, yesterday, he said there was a need to ensure consistency and competence by cake bakers, especially in the use of raw materials.

According to him “there is a huge increase in the number of consumers for the products that come out of this industry. Cakes, desserts and pastries are consumed in large quantities daily. The supply and sales of unwholesome materials endanger the health of consumers and impair the overall quality of the finished goods.

“It therefore behooves us to ensure that the quality of our inputs remain wholesome in order for us to churn out good and quality finished products. On several occasions, we have encountered cases of substandard products. Sometimes inedible items are passed off as edible.”

In response to the unwholesomeness of certain baked products that might be experienced by Nigerians, Director Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Directorate, represented by Mr. Dauda Jimoh, said: “We may not be able to identify inedible products, but we call on the public to assist us if any enterprise dealing in such is found.”