Of the various forms of malnutrition that exist, chronic malnutrition is the most widespread, affecting over 148 million children. In most cases, malnutrition is caused by nutritional deficiencies and disease. Promoting high-quality fortified foods is a solution with great potential to prevent malnutrition. There is also an increasing demand for locally processed baby food. In countries where malnutrition is most severely affected, the local private sector needs to play a key role, as there is a real market opportunity to provide healthy, high-quality fortified products at affordable prices.
Working with the local private sector, GRET, our EU partner, has two goals: to support the development and provision of high-quality local food adapted to 1000-day nutritional needs and expectations, and to support market-driven approaches to disseminate targeted, high-quality, fortified food at low cost to as many people as possible in a sustainable way. This Infopoint introduces three complementary business approaches.
Nutri’zaza is a Malagasy social enterprise founded in 2013 whose main objective is to fight child malnutrition by improving the nutritional status of Malagasy children and families. To achieve this goal, the company distributes high-quality fortified products tailored to those most affected by chronic malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies, making them affordable and available everywhere, including to the most vulnerable. Operating in urban areas, the company distributes its products, essentially made in Madagascar from local ingredients, through three distribution networks:
Le Lionceau is a Senegalese company that offers a wide range of infant food, mainly small jars and biscuits made based on recipes and local products. The company has found its market nationwide, mainly in urban areas, and now wants to take a new dimension by entering a wider market in West Africa. The company’s director talks about his experience as a pioneer in the region’s infant food market and the challenges he faces in taking the business to the next level.
In a country like Niger, the market for infant flour represents a huge opportunity with a growing demand for these products. Currently, these products are produced by companies of different sizes. On the one hand, there are agribusinesses, often based in urban areas, where reaching the rural population remains a major economic challenge for these urban companies. On the other hand, there are small units managed by rural women’s groups, closer to rural consumers and networked to be able to share resources. Networking between these different types of companies, and among smaller ones, can be a catalyst for growth.
A representative from DUE in Niger will then share his experience in supporting local flour production initiatives and partnering with the private sector in the nutrition sector, highlighting in particular the regulatory aspects, support through political dialogue, and the challenges and opportunities to foster a business environment for companies with both a social and economic mission.
Finally, preliminary results will be presented from a regional value chain study on formulated and complementary foods (including RUTF, fortified blended foods (including wheat flour), high-energy biscuits and infant formula) by the International Trade Centre (ITC), commissioned by DG INTPA. An area previously identified as having high potential, the second phase of the study has identified concrete ideas in the form of an operational roadmap for building pilot Global Gateway projects.
speaker
- Helena GuarinHead of Nutrition, INTPA F3-Sustainable Agri-Food Systems and Fisheries Unit (F3)
- Osan GenuteGRET Health and Nutrition Project Manager
- Quentin Morrow AmellPolicy Officer, INTPA E2 – Trade, Investment Climate, Entrepreneurship and Value Chains
- Mandresi LandriamihalisoaExecutive Director, Nutrizaza, Madagascar
- Shiny SambaSecretary-General Le Lionceau, Senegal
- Tharsis NkunzimanaProgramme Manager – EU Delegation, Niger
Language: English
Q&A session languages: English and French
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