Lagos State government has reiterated that the use of firewood for commercial cooking in the state remained banned.

The General Manager, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), Dr Babatunde Ajayi, stated this on Tuesday during a one-day workshop for Bakery Operators in Lagos State as part of the effort to sanitize bakery industry for a healthy living.

Ajayi stated that many years ago LASEPA had announced the ban on the use of firewood for use cooking, especially commercial and the policy has not changed.

He added that there are sanctions for those who violated the directive.

“For us, when we find that a few people use firewood for their use or commercial cooking, the first sanction is to notify them that this is bad. The second is to send a pre-sanction warning and the third step is to seal such facility to stop the pollution.”

According to Ajayi, this is because the LASEPA understands that it is not even healthy for the operators just as it is not healthy for those who consume the food being produced as it affects the food quality that is being pushing out.

He noted that using firewood for cooking is not even as efficient as using cooking gas or other options like electric.

“So there are penalties, and we have continuously insisted that people must comply and they must do so within the limit of our regulations,” the LASEPA boss stated.

Ajayi disclosed that the workshop is part of the series of workshops being organised by LASEPA as part of protecting the environment and promoting sustainable living.

The essence of this engagement is to train them and bring them up to speed with our environmental regulations on how they can manage the food they produce, and the food security around it. Bread is very common, it is one of the most common foods that you have that people of Lagos eat and as the environmental regulator, we need to keep an eye on the source of their water and the cleanliness of their environment, the handling, and the protection of their space.”

He also said the focus is promoting efficient and sustainable energy among bakers.

“They need to manage their energy better. For us, we are frowning very strongly at the use of firewood in bread bakeries. We frown on the use of charcoal, we have done a pilot exercise to modify their processes from charcoal to LPG, that is cooking gas. A few of them have been warned, so we are encouraging them to use energy that is efficience.”

The Director, Land and Water Pollution Control Department, LASEPA, Faderera Koko, said the workshop was organised because from the department monitoring activities, it was observed that some of the operators and practitioners were not abiding by the appropriate environmental sanitation standard. She noted that as a result there was air and land pollution activities among the bakers and bake houses.

“So, we decided that we do the train the trainer workshop and capacity building so that the environment can be safe for all,” Koko stated.

The Chairman, Association of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria, Lagos chapter, Ayoola Mathew Olayiwola, thanked LASEPA for the workshop as it is an insightful one.

He noted that the goal of the programme is to improve the production process.