Sana'a - Saba:
The Ministry of Economy, Industry and Investment on Monday held the first workshop on a program aimed at transforming the food consumption pattern for baked goods, shifting from white flour to brown flour and various locally sourced grain baked goods.
At the workshop's opening, the Minister of Economy and Industry Investment, Engineer Moeen al-Mahqeri, emphasized the health, economic, and social importance of this transition for consumers.
He explained that the workshop aimed to leverage past experiences with whole grain and wheat flour baked goods, as well as hear from the technical team involved. Discussions covered the production of bread, "blood" (likely a local dish), pastries, and other baked goods using these alternatives. The workshop also focused on coordination between grinding companies, pastry production labs, bakeries, restaurants, and the Consumer Protection Association to develop successful models for broader implementation.
Minister al-Mahqeri highlighted the encouraging initial results of the transformation efforts, stating that the ministry would provide full support to develop and expand these experiences through two tracks. The first is an urgent track to generalize the production of baked goods from whole wheat grains by adjusting extraction rates for various types of bread. The second involves supporting and encouraging bakeries to expand the production of baked goods using whole local grains.
He stressed the need for collaborative efforts between official authorities, milling companies, laboratories, and restaurants to raise awareness about the benefits of this transformation, promoting healthy alternatives and highlighting the risks associated with white flour consumption.
The Minister emphasized a gradual and studied approach to this transformation, ensuring the continued availability of bread in all its forms, as well as other healthy baked goods at affordable prices. He underscored the importance of prioritizing consumer health, citing medical studies that warn against the risks of white flour consumption and related diseases.
Al-Mahqeri also pointed out the economic and social dimensions of this shift, aiming to increase the consumption of local grains, reduce dependence on imports, and encourage farmers to increase grain cultivation, given Yemen's diverse and high-quality local grain production. He noted the continued presence of traditional dishes utilizing local grains and stressed the need for awareness campaigns to promote their use and shift consumer patterns towards healthier options.
The Minister outlined a two-track, two-stage vision for the program, starting with the complete use of unextracted wheat flour and then progressing to the blending of locally produced grains.
The workshop, attended by the Undersecretary for Internal Trade, Mohamed Qataran, the Director of Market Stability at the Ministry, Khaled Al-Khulani, the Director of Operations, Naguib a1l-Azhari, representatives from Chambers of Commerce and Industry, private sector companies, bakery preparation labs, popular bakeries, the oven and bakeries syndicate, and the President of the Yemeni Society for Consumer Protection, reviewed studies on the use of wheat flour with varying extraction rates in baked goods.
Successful experiments in producing pastries, bakery items, and sweets from local grains were also presented, along with experiences from restaurants using brown flour for traditional dishes.
The workshop concluded with an agreement for milling companies to begin reducing the extraction rate for wheat flour to 88 percent as a first stage, moving towards 100 percent whole wheat flour. Efforts will also be made to supply bakeries with the new product to gradually phase out white flour, alongside public awareness campaigns promoting the benefits of whole grain and local grain baked goods.
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