A New Way To Curb Malnutrition in Africa
Public health advocates and the Nigerian government are working to provide malnourished households in the West African nation with a simple solution to boost their intake of essential vitamins and minerals. Soon, government regulators are launching a new set of standards for fortifying bouillon cubes with iron, zinc, folic acid, and vitamin B12, at minimum levels recommended by experts.
Although these standards are currently voluntary for manufacturers, their adoption could significantly advance efforts to combat diets deficient in vital micronutrients, commonly referred to as “hidden hunger” in nutrition and public health. According to a new report from the Gates Foundation, fortified bouillon cubes could potentially prevent up to 16.6 million cases of anemia and save up to 11,000 lives from neural tube defects in Nigeria.
Many households resort to smaller portions and less nutritious foods, with a recent government survey revealing that 79% of Nigerian households experience food insecurity. Due to numerous factors, this percentage has been increasing in the last couple of years. Bouillon cubes—small blocks of condensed meat or vegetable extracts used to flavor soups and stews—are ubiquitous in African diets, with nearly universal use in countries like Nigeria, Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Cameroon, a study by Helen Keller International found. Because the cubes are widely used across all income levels in Nigeria, this makes them an ideal, cost-effective vehicle for delivering essential vitamins and minerals to millions.
Deficiencies in iron, zinc, folic acid, and vitamin B12 have led to severe public health issues in Nigeria, including high rates of anemia among women of childbearing age, neural tube defects in newborns, and stunted growth in children, says Augustine Okoruwa, a regional program manager at Helen Keller International. The New York-based nonprofit, which addresses blindness and malnutrition, has partnered with the Gates Foundation and various organizations in Africa to promote food fortification.
Nigeria’s recent economic policies, such as the removal of gasoline subsidies, have worsened the cost-of-living crisis, particularly for low-income earners who make up the majority of the country’s workforce, exacerbating food insecurity.
The large-scale production of fortified foods offers a new approach to increasing micronutrient intake in the staples of low-income countries, providing resilience for vulnerable families, according to the Gates Foundation.
Currently, no Nigerian manufacturers include the four key micronutrients at the recommended levels, but there is growing industry interest. Sweet Nutrition, based in Ota near Lagos, began adding iron to some of its products in 2017 as a voluntary effort to support public health. Roop Kumar, the company’s marketing manager, said that they are conducting trials and considering further fortification in response to the new regulatory standards.