By Bernie Cahiles-Magkilat
Community bakeries have been urged to open and con¬tinue operating to help provide food to the masses on condition they follow safety protocols and guidelines set by their local government units (LGUs).
Chito Chavez of Panaderong Pilipino, a group of small com¬munity bakers, said that small bakeries should just produce the basic breads such as pandesal, monay and loaf.
Besides, he said, bread is the most effective immediate relief to hunger because it is filling and ready to eat.
“We should help augment food supply with bread because the bread supply in the supermarkets and groceries are not much,” said Chavez as he urged consumers to patronize their neighborhood bakeries rather than lining up at supermarkets.
Chavez, however, stressed that community bakers can only continue operating and producing bread if they follow the local government unit protocols and able to maintain social distanc¬ing among its customers and the personnel manning the bakeries. He further urged LGUs to include the bakeries in their guidelines to ensure they operate continuously.
“We have to have some measures implemented because bakers are part of the frontliner work force during this crisis,” he said.
Chavez noted that there has steady supply of flour at very good rates. The only problem though is that community bakers are facing is the lack of packaging (plastic and paper packaging) materials for their bread.
To remedy this problem, Chavez said that buyers may be asked to bring their own containers for their bread. This way, it is not just economical but environment-friendly.
Chavez owns “Tinapayan”, a community bakery which opens daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. only and is producing bread to sup¬ply a group of frontliners and police groups in Manila.