Professional production manual for bakers as Namilco, US firms host seminar

Local bakers attending tomorrow’s Baking Seminar being held by the National Milling Company (Namilco) in collaboration with US firms Seaboard Corporation and Engrain LLC, will each be provided with a professional production manual that will better position them to take their businesses to “the next level,” Namilco Chief Executive Officer Bert Sukhai said.

The manual, Sukhai said, ought to help local bakeries “significantly upgrade their operational and production practices” by providing professional guidance on issues like safety and health, hygiene, storage of raw materials and efficient baking practices. It is “part of the service offered to the sector by Namilco which goes beyond the marketing of a product,” he said.

Tomorrow’s seminar which will be addressed by Agriculture Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy and United States Ambassador to Guyana Brent Hardt is being delivered under the theme “taking Guyana’s bakeries to the next level.” The seminar is being held at Parc Rayne, Rahaman’s Park, East Bank Demerara.

A release issued by Namilco said that the main objective of the seminar is to “give local bakers an opportunity to learn new techniques to further enhance their baking skills, to learn about the latest developments in the global bread industry and to learn about creating niche products to bring variety to the consumers.” The release said that the seminar will also be focusing on “good manufacturing practices.”

Meanwhile, Sukhai said Namilco was seeking to “raise the bar” as it relates to food safety standards, an issue which he said was a priority with Namilco and was also high on the list of priorities of the American co-sponsors of the seminar.

Tomorrow’s forum will cover a range of areas relating to the baking sector including the relationship between good manufacturing practices and final baking results; baking ingredients and end product; mixing and fermentation. Bakers will also have the opportunity for one-on-one discussions with the presenters, the release said.