Addressing Micro-nutrient deficiencies
Nestlé has introduced to the Togolese market its Iron-fortified MAGGI bouillons, bringing to consumers a high grade product which is the result of many years of scientific research on dietary habits and nutritional needs of the people in Central and West Africa.
Iron deficiency is considered one of the most common micronutrient deficiencies in the world. Like the rest of Central and West Africa, Togo has a high incidence of iron deficiency, a situation that adversely impact the lives of the people, particularly pregnant women and children below the age of five years.
Indeed, a 2005 study conducted by the World Health Organization indicates that 52% of children 0-5 years, as well as 50% of pregnant women and 38% of non-pregnant women of reproductive ages in Togo were anemic, meaning that they lacked iron in their diets.The fortification of commodities widely consumed by large segments of the population is one of the good ways to address the incidence of malnutrition. Nestlé adopted the fortification of its products with essential micronutrients to help enhance the quality of life of the people.
Cooking broths being widely used by households in the region, they therefore, serve as good vehicles to help the most vulnerable populations in the fight against iron and other deficiencies that can cause serious health problems, as well as the loss of productivity and considerable health spending..
Meeting consumers’ needs
With the launch, our consumers in Togo will now have access to MAGGI cubes fortified not only with Iron, but also with Iodine. The new product retains the same taste and there have been no price increases in addition new nutritional solutions.
The National Director for Private Sector Promotion Koffi Mensah Franck, chaired the event held at the Holly Jean Apostle Centre in Lomé on Tuesday, March 15, 2014. Also present were state officials, public health workers, standardization authorities, private sector operators and Nestlé partners.
In his address, Country Manager for the Savanna Cluster, Giacomo Chiocca, said Nestlé is committed to sharing in the various countries it operates its expertise on how to improve nutrition and health of consumers.
“In search of food that can serve as a vehicle suitable for fortification with iron, we identified MAGGI as they are sold throughout Central and West Africa. More than 75 000 000 of MAGGI bouillons are sold daily in the region at affordable prices.”
Fortification of products
In addition to MAGGI, Nestlé also fortifies other products by way of advancing science to solve global nutritional problems and meeting the nutritional needs of populations.
This approach is critical as malnutrition due to deficiency or lack of micronutrients is a general problem in Africa, affecting people of all ages and from all socio-economic groups.
Among the most common deficiencies include iron, iodine, vitamin A and zinc. As the world leader in Nutrition, Health and Wellness, the Nestlé Group has invested in the fortification of its products with micronutrients.
Among the products fortified in CWAR include CERELAC Millet (Iron), NIDO (Iron, Calcium and Zinc), GOLDEN MORN (Vitamin A and Iron) and PURE LIFE (Zinc).
Meanwhile, there will also be another launch in Benin on Thursday, April 17, bringing to nine the number of countries in the Region that have launched the product. They include Togo, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, Niger and Guinea.