The working group set up to recommend to government policy guidelines for the baking sector has established a number of goals that it wishes to accomplish, including the registration of all bakers and bakeries in the country.
The working group is chaired by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Trade, Ambassador Clarence E. Pilgrim, who also identified the creation of an association or grouping of bakers in the country as also being critical for its work.
“The Ministry of Trade, under the mandate of the National Trade Council, has established this working group to ensure that our local bakery industry thrives within a structured and fair trading environment. Our mission is to uphold best practices, improve competitiveness, and protect consumers while ensuring that our industry aligns with regional and international standards,” he explained.
According to Ambassador Pilgrim the working group’s task is to review and analyze existing standards and regulations, assess current practices within the bakery sector, identify areas of improvement and gaps within the draft policy, research and collect relevant data to ensure the policy is both effective and informed by best practices, and provide a forum for stakeholder consultation on the development and implementation of the policy. “Through these efforts, we aim to create a clear and actionable policy that promotes sustainability, fair trade, and consumer protection within the baking industry,” he added.
At a meeting at the Villa Polyclinic on Wednesday, co-chair of the working group, Trade Policy Analyst, Nadia James, provided an overview of the objectives of the working group in its efforts to create a National Baking Policy for Antigua and Barbuda.
“The purpose of the National Bakery Policy working group is to develop a comprehensive policy framework considering and analyzing the current mechanism, existing regulatory frameworks and provide stakeholder perspectives to address regulatory, health sustainability and economic aspects of the baking sector, promoting fair trading environment and consumer protection,” she emphasised.
James said the working group will provide recommendations to the National Trade Council to achieve the trade-related goals, standards and initiatives for the sustainable growth of the Baking Sector.
Chief Health Inspector, Daryl Spencer, who is also a member of the working group, disclosed that the Central Board of Health is currently developing a set of training modules specifically for the baking sector.
He said there’s need or the specialized training that caters to the specific needs of the baking community and his department will be rolling out those soon.
