Bakers' group bats for 'salty' pandesal amid rise in sugar prices

A group of community bakers is pushing to bring back the traditional "salty" pandesal amid the high price of sugar.

In an episode of Stand for Truth, Asosayon ng Panaderong Pilipino (APP) president Lucito Chavez said a number of small bakeries in the country have closed down due to the continuous increase in the prices of the ingredients used in making pandesal.

“Makikita natin na ang industriya ng maliliit na magpapandesal ay nabawasan. Dati, 40% of the flour going into bread is pandesal [ngayon] 19% na lang,” said Chavez.

With the high sugar cost, the group said bakers could consider reformulating their pandesal recipe to make it saltier.

Pandesal or pan de sal means “salt bread” but in the Philippines, the staple roll is usually sweeter than saltier.

“Sambayanang panadero, ako po ay nananawagan, aralin natin, buklatin natin ang libro ng nakaraan. Ibukas natin sa isang makabagong panahon kung saan ito ay matitikman ng mga bagong kabataan para sa kinabukasan, kalusugan, para sa napakataas na asukal,” he added.

APP also recommended to bakers to include healthy additives to their bread products like squash, sweet potato, carrots, and malunggay.

The Department of Agriculture (DA), for its part, supported the idea, adding it is currently taking steps to address the rise in prices of ingredients.

“If we strictly base it on costs structure, doon natin makikita if it’s reasonable na mag-increase sila ng price,” Agriculture Undersecretary Kristine Evangelista said.

“We will always look into how to bring down the costs of agricultural inputs. This is from sourcing and also probably subsidies will also looked into to see hanggang saan pwedeng bumaba ang presyo ng produksyon,” she added.

Earlier, the DA together with the Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Science and Technology and the private sector launched the “coco pandesal” — a version of the bread roll made from coconut flour.

The development of the flour variant is one of the measures to help community bakers as it is cheaper than the usual flour, and has health benefits.  But steady supply of the coconut flour must be guaranteed.—Sundy Locus/LDF, GMA News