In correspondence addressed respectively to the governor and the mayor of the city, the Association of Bakers of Essaouira has threatened to strike if a solution is not found to the problem of the proliferation of clandestine bakeries. According to the president of said association, 120 bakeries operate clandestinely in the city, thus imposing unfair competition on professionals who have paid a high price for this anarchy. "It is enough now to have an oven and a kneader to produce and sell bread in Essaouira. People no longer care about authorisations or hygiene and quality standards," indignantly states a professional. Said association calls on local and elected authorities to act urgently with a view to putting an end to this illegal trade which is detrimental to the population on economic, sanitary and social levels. "Our business is increasingly threatened. We pay salaries and taxes but without benefiting from any protection from the competent services," a young baker told us, not without bitterness. The association's observation is not limited to bread, but also concerns pastries produced and sold in unsanitary conditions. "It is not only the interests of bakers that are jeopardised by these illegal activities, it is above all the health of consumers that risks being affected because of products that do not respect any hygiene and quality rules," affirms a professional. According to confirmed sources, a good number of professional bakers have decided in turn to join the informal sector so as not to have to pay taxes or social charges anymore. Unfortunately, it is not only with clandestine bakeries that one can deplore the hygiene conditions, because a good number of authorised bakeries remain well below the minimum required. It is enough to take a tour in the old Medina to notice the state of decay and insalubrity that tarnishes the image of a basic food product, but poorly protected by the competent services. As a result, they are called upon to act urgently to protect the health of citizens, and to impose compliance with the specifications by the latter. Furthermore, the Association of Bakers in Essaouira, visibly stung by the silence of those responsible, does not exclude the possibility of resorting to a strike during the high tourist season.