Experts call for food fortification to check malnutrition indices in Nigeria

To ensure a reduction in malnutrition indices in Nigeria, a multinational beverage company has called for collaboration amongst stakeholders to increase awareness of the importance of iron, the impact of micronutrient deficiency, and Anemia during pregnancy, and the need to fortify all beverages and processed foods in accordance with standards making it accessible and affordable to the people, encouraging better eating habits.

Speaking at a day capacity building on the theme: “Fortification as a strategy for improving nutrition indices, for members of the Society for Media Advocacy on Health (SOMAH) in Lagos, ” the Manager, Nestle Nutrition Institute, Central West African Region, Dr Yvonne Olaloku said the company has fortification strategy.

In her paper presentation titled “Malnutrition in Nigeria – Fortification as Strategy for Improving Nutrition Indices,” Dr Kanalio Olaloku stressed that food fortification and supplementation remained the key sources for improving nutrition indices.

Dr Yvonne Olaloku noted that ” Iron deficiency and anaemia are as high as 58 per cent in pregnant women means that more than half of pregnant women have iron deficiency.

” And in children under the age of five, Dr Olaloku explained, it is as high as 57 per cent from the most recent data of 2018, hence, the need for Government to ensure women are given complementary iron but asked the question, ” but raised the question, ” how many pregnant women takes as much as 90 tablets in the course of their pregnancy as recommended.

According to her, ” At least, about 15 per cent of fortification are added in our Foods,”  stressing that the company makes certain its products are fortified making sure that, the big four gains, which are, Iron, Vitamin A, Iodine and zinc “.

Olaloku expressed dismay that, ” lack of fortification in food products or intakes could lead to malnutrition due to inadequate relevant minerals and vitamins, advising families to  ” ensure food products always contain some elements of fortification, take food supplements, deworming, dietary diversification, enhance caregiver capability, collaboration, continued research and data development “.

She however ” there is a wide range of interventions available to tackle micronutrient inadequacies. Suggesting that, interventions meant to increase diet diversification should be the central component of micronutrient deficiency prevention and control efforts as a long-term measure.

Speaking on malnutrition in Africa, the Head, of Research and Development, Sub-Saharan Africa, Hailey Tesfalidet, pointed out that, ” the burden throughout the life stages is huge because everyone is living in it, children that are shorter for their ages is an indication of stunting “.

Nothing that every one in three children is shorter than their age is a big issue because it has consequences not only in their lives as children, Hailey, explained that ”  even as adults their productive life would be difficult, stressing the need for pregnant women to use multiple micronutrients to ensure the pregnancy is good, to align with world health standards and what is expected of the beverages.

In other words, she noted, Nestle is working with the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH), Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMoARD) and the Federal Ministry of Education (FME) to drive advocacy for better eating choices.

Head, of Corporate Communication Public Affairs and Sustainability, Central and West Africa, Patricia Ekaba, said, supporting the government so that everyone gets food, nutrients and micronutrients at the level they need is the way to go, hence the need to ensure prices are normal. 

” The organization is training over 1300 health professionals and collaborating with the primary health care board adding that to date, there are 30,000 doctors that are not working and work is ongoing “. Ekaba

Andrey Essilfie, Nutritionist, Research and Development, says,  ” Leaving an estimated four and a half million people dependent on it and they need value. It will lead to disruption and people last year we tried to encourage them to return home, many are still afraid, ” explaining that, ” with conflicts in Ukraine it has been increasing, humanitarian workers have seen more cases, it has had effect in Nigeria as well.

According to the expert, developing and developed countries are affected, People can’t afford to buy water but if they get it at very small amount it will help. 45 percent are founded in almost 80 countries and they journey and they need to benefit from this and we will try to meet more people and mobilize others.

 ” They government can help. Food production is important and compliance is important to ensure that 45 percent has access. Everyone can mobilize efforts to build technical know-how, to get government involved, every one dollar invested is importantv”. Essilfie

” We want it to be affordable and accessible and show that we are supporting government so that everyone gets food and nutrients. ” The essence of this is to ensure that everyone gets micro nutrients at the level they need. We need to make the prices are normal.  Most importantly we want to know that the needs are met. Here we have some of our products that have nutrients and we want to make sure 15 percent get it “

 ” It is also advocating for pregnant women multiple micro nutrients that will ensure the pregnancy is good. Most importantly it aligns with world health standards and what is expected of the beverage. We are increasing awareness and we are making it affordable and accessible with collaborative partnerships, you buy and you pay and it gives you the nutrients “. Essilfie

Dr Chris Isokpoun, a Nutrition Expert, on his part explained that, in our society, where there is warm dissemination it can reduce iron absorption and lead to the body losing iron through bleeding internally on the attachment of those parasites, ” Which is why in Nigeria we have three ways to address iron deficiency, the first is deworming, giving children regular worm expellant in order to reduce the worm from competing with nutrients in the children’s body, second is supplements and third is,  fortification “.

Profering solution he said, ” Fortifying food both industrially with iron to meet the daily iron needs, we need to ensure there is iron in the food of the general public, ensuring that children are regularly dewormed and fortification of food. All of these involved different sectors and we need to carry everybody along especially the private sector, and manufacturing industry which will produce the processed foods and needs to fortify it “.

” In Nigeria today we fortify flour with iron. We are looking at fortifying others too. Apart from that, a lot of our people consume packaged foods and they need to be fortified with iron”, Isokpoun.