Nigeria loses $1.5bn to malnutrition – GAIN

UCHE AKOLISA

Nigeria is losing an estimated $1.5 billion annually to malnutrition, according a new study by nutrition experts.

The Coordinator, Scaling up Nutrition Business Network, (SBN)Nigeria, Ms. Uduak Igbeka who made the disclosure in Lagos, recently, at a workshop with the theme “Using Consumer Insights to drive business success and Improve The Nutritional Status Of  Nigeria,” held by  Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition(GAIN).

Igbeka who input the economic loss to lost productivity explained that malnourished children are likely to have reduced cognitive ability and likely to end up as less productive adults.

“Nigeria loses $1.5bn to malnutrition, annually. A child who is undernourished cannot grow enough cognitive ability to earn enough as an adult,” she said.

Igbeka, while urging businesses (in the food and beverage industry) to be nutrition-sensitive, said that offerings with improved nutritional value would not only benefit the consumer but promote a healthy and productive workforce, adding, “We need well-nourished children to get productive adults.”

Corroborating Igbeka, the Senior Associate, Programme Development, GAIN, Hannah Theobald, said that the private sector can help to reduce malnutrition through nutrition education of consumers and scaling up fortification of food products to required standards.

“They private sector) have a lot of expertise in communication and can use that to promote nutrition education of consumers. They can ensure that they are marketing not only products that are fortified but fortified to required standards.”

A national research conducted in Nigeria in December 2015, by Ipsos, a marketing research company, shows that over 50% of Nigerians consumes more of starchy food and cocoa based drinks and less of protein and vitamin-rich foods.

According to the study, 53 % of 170 million-man population (about 90 million Nigerians) consume more often traditional starchy foods (at least 4 to 7 times a week),  42 % take  cocoa-based drinks while 51% consume less of  raw vegetables, 47% eat meat three times a week. The report also shows that 52 % eats fish 3 times a week, 48% eat nuts three times a week, while 54% eat mango/papaya once a week.

The workshop had participant exploring innovations that could create business success while improving nutritional status of Nigerian using insights from market data provided

by Ipsos.