Committee to study loaf pricing and bakery standards
LIBYA – Benghazi Municipality and the Bakers’ Syndicate have agreed to form a committee of specialists and experts to examine the bread crisis and draw up practical solutions on the price and weight of loaves, flour subsidies, operating costs and health requirements, with recommendations to be submitted to the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Libyan Arab Armed Forces, Lt Gen Saddam Haftar.
Al-Gharabi and Al-Araibi discuss the crisis with regulatory bodies
The agreement was reached at a meeting held by Benghazi Mayor Counsellor Ezzedine Al-Gharabi with the head of the Bakers’ Syndicate, Mahmoud Al-Araibi, attended by the undersecretary of the municipality’s Diwan and head of the Municipal Guard, Maj Gen Tawfiq Al-Werfalli; a representative of the Environmental Health Authority; and a number of bakery owners.
The municipality’s media office said those attending discussed flour prices and subsidy mechanisms, setting the price of bread and the weight of the loaf, bakery operating costs and working methods, as well as general hygiene and compliance with health standards that ensure food safety and product quality.
Recurring crisis requires tackling its causes
Participants agreed that the bread crisis is long-standing and recurring, and that dealing with its effects will not be sustainable without studying its roots, including the cost of flour and its subsidy, operating costs, pricing and hygiene, in order to strike a balance between citizens’ rights and the operating burdens on bakery owners.
Specialist committee and recommendations to Lt Gen Saddam Haftar
It was decided to task a committee of experts with studying these files and drawing up proposals on pricing, weight, the regulation of bakeries and subsidies, and with following up the application of safety and health requirements in coordination with the relevant authorities, giving priority to ensuring that citizens get a loaf of suitable weight, at a fair price and of sound health quality.
At the end of the meeting, those present confirmed that comprehensive recommendations would be prepared and referred to the Deputy Commander-in-Chief, Lt Gen Saddam Haftar, to help resolve the crisis at its roots and ensure a stable supply of bread and citizens’ satisfaction.
