News

Arla helps improve DR Congo nutrition

7 Jul 2016

Arla Foods Ingredients has been exploring how to improve the staple diet of low-income consumers in DR Congo without raising the price.

Arla helps improve DR Congo nutrition

Arla Foods Ingredients has been exploring how to improve the staple diet of low-income consumers in DR Congo without raising the price.

A field study of low-income families in the Democratic Republic of Congo has found an opportunity to improve the nutritional quality of the staple diet at very little cost, the company reports. The opportunity lies in fufu, a traditional cassava and maize flour dish that is widely consumed every day.

Through the addition of 10% dairy ingredients, fufu could become a daily source of milk protein and minerals, according to Arla who note that, at an estimated extra cost of $7.50 per tonne, the increase in the kilo price of fufu is minimal.

DR Congo is one of the poorest countries in the world. According to the World Food Programme, in 2014 23% of children under the age of five and 14% of women were underweight, almost 50% of the under-fives were stunted, and more than half a million pregnant or breastfeeding women suffered from acute malnutrition.

To investigate the potential to improve this situation using dairy ingredients, Arla Foods Ingredients conducted interviews with 30 consumers living in the DR Congo capital, Kinshasa earlier this year. This revealed that an average household includes four children and spends $6 a day on food.

All but one of the people interviewed stated that they consume fufu at least once a day. The exception was a woman who prepared fufu for her family but did not eat it herself.

“Fufu is part of the staple diet in many African countries. In the Congo, men say they have to eat it every day otherwise they can’t sleep. People know fufu is not very nutritious but it keeps them from going hungry,” said Man Kasiama Ebaba, who conducted the study for Arla Foods Ingredients.

Application trials in the Arla Foods Ingredients laboratory have shown that the addition of skimmed milk powder and whey permeate can enrich the protein and mineral content of fufu without altering the overall taste and texture.

“The taste is slightly sweeter but, in our small-scale tests with people who eat fufu regularly, likeability was high,” Man Kasiama Ebaba said. “Our conclusion is that fufu has strong potential for enrichment at no significant extra cost to consumers.”

During his fact-finding trip to DC Congo, Ebaba approached several companies to gauge local interest in producing a nutritionally-enriched fufu. These discussions are ongoing.

Prior to the DC Congo study, Arla Foods Ingredients conducted a similar investigation of affordable food opportunities in Bangladesh.

“The affordable food segment represents an opportunity for us to pursue our responsible business goals. We are currently developing new business models for the supply of sustainable, low-cost solutions that give low-income consumers better access to good nutrition,” said senior project manager at Arla Foods Ingredients, Charlotte Sørensen.

Arla Foods Ingredients is a member of the GAIN Nordic Partnership, which aims to develop affordable and nutritious foods in partnership with local manufacturers.

Related tags

Dairy

Related news

Value is a top priority for today’s F&B consumers

Value is a top priority for today’s F&B consumers

3 Apr 2025

Research from global consultancy Hartman Group suggests there are six core values that brands must tap into to connect with consumers’ needs.

Read more 
Clean-label cereals prompt fortification debate

Clean-label cereals prompt fortification debate

28 Mar 2025

Marks & Spencer has caused a stir with the launch of a range of breakfast cereals in the UK containing minimal ingredients.

Read more 
UK consumers could be eating cultivated meat within two years

UK consumers could be eating cultivated meat within two years

26 Mar 2025

Cell-cultivated products (CCPs), from chicken nuggets to beefburgers, could be on UK supermarket shelves by 2027 after regulators launched a sandbox to accelerate approvals.

Read more 
Plans to abandon mandatory Nutri-Score labelling ‘would be a step back’

Plans to abandon mandatory Nutri-Score labelling ‘would be a step back’

17 Mar 2025

Critics have slammed reports that mandatory Nutri-Score labelling is to be abandoned as “a step back” that puts citizens’ health at risk.

Read more 
Food companies urged to bring ‘joy’ and urgency to healthy food mission

Food companies urged to bring ‘joy’ and urgency to healthy food mission

14 Mar 2025

For too long, businesses have treated health and sustainability as separate agendas – but there is growing evidence to show diets that benefit human health can also enhance that of the planet, say experts.

Read more 
Is the price of a sustainable and healthy diet… unsustainable?

Is the price of a sustainable and healthy diet… unsustainable?

4 Mar 2025

Healthier foods are more than twice as expensive per calorie as less healthy foods, with healthier food increasing in price at twice the rate in the past two years.

Read more 
Marks & Spencer brings ‘brain foods’ to the retail space

Marks & Spencer brings ‘brain foods’ to the retail space

3 Mar 2025

Marks & Spencer is capitalising on increased consumer interest in “brain food” with the launch of a new product range designed to support cognitive health.

Read more 
Protein diversification: A massive missed market?

Protein diversification: A massive missed market?

20 Feb 2025

Germany and the UK could be missing out on the massive market for alternative meats and proteins, with one new coalition calling for an end to the “steak-tofu struggle”.

Read more 
Leading regulatory updates in Asia in 2025

Leading regulatory updates in Asia in 2025

7 Feb 2025

As we head into 2025, numerous legislators around Asia are suggesting and solidifying legal updates and changes that will impact the food and beverage space.

Read more 
Singapore introduces Food Safety and Security Bill

Singapore introduces Food Safety and Security Bill

3 Feb 2025

Amid growing food safety concerns and supply chain disruptions, the Singapore Food Agency passes its Food Safety and Security Bill (FSSB) to provide greater clarity, assurance, and credibility.

Read more