Unilever's biggest brand Knorr unveiled its commitment to help reduce the prevalence of iron deficiency anaemia in Nigeria, a major public health issue, by making nutritious cooking more desirable, easy to understand and afford. This commitment forms part of Knorr's social mission to improve the health and happiness of a billion people by unlocking more flavour and goodness from everyday food.
With the majority of Nigerians not eating enough food high in iron, the new initiative will combine a behaviour change programme with the introduction of iron fortified bouillon cubes. The Knorr social mission takes a holistic approach, not only 'Fork' – championing nutritious cooking, but also improving livelihoods of the most affected groups - 'Fortune' and helping smallholder farmers- 'Farm'
The announcement follows the release of the 2014 Global Nutrition Report which found that almost half (49 per cent) of women of a reproductive age in Nigeria are anaemic, and according to a dietary diversity assessment done in six Nigerian states, the majority of Nigerians are not consuming enough foods that are high in iron. According to the assessment only 38 percent eat fruits and vegetables, including leafy green vegetables on a daily basis and only 33 percent consume meat daily.
Professor NgoziNnam, President of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria, explained "vitamin and mineral deficiencies are among the largest public health challenges facing the country right now. Our health system is already overburdened, so we need to educate people on how they can help prevent deficiencies through healthy diets."
Fork
To champion nutritious cooking, Knorr will help drive behavioural change via introducing an intervention programme – 'The Green Food Steps' – focused on educating mothers and daughters on the importance of an iron-rich diet through influencing their cooking habits.
Yaw Nsarkoh - Managing Director, Unilever Nigeria says "Cooking habits are deeply rooted but we know that mothers pass recipes on to their daughters, so by educating them on the need for iron-rich ingredients we can drive behaviour change in the next generation. By incorporating leafy greens and the Knorr fortified stock cubes into recipes, the programme will help mothers improve the nutritional value of everyday recipes."
ToyinSaraki from the Well Being Foundation added"Teenage girls who need 50% more iron than when they were younger to cope with their bodies changes and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to anaemia, initiatives that encourage better nutrition such as Knorr's can really have a positive impact on maternal health in Nigeria, which is among the worst in Africa."
The Green Food Steps consists of three simple steps: toss greens into stews, stir them in, and crumble the Knorr iron fortified cube for a more nutritious dish. As part of this, the Knorr cube will be fortified with iron, however, the programme goes further than this, recognising that a change in cooking habits is required for long term impact. The ambition is that these steps will demonstrate that it is easy for people to change their cooking habits without compromising on flavour, time, or cost. Knorr's Green Food Steps will start by getting 50,000 mothers and daughters to practice the new cooking habits in Ijebu Ode and Amaigbo, with the ambition to roll out to the rest of Nigeria.
Multiple award winning superstarOmotolaJaladeEkeinde, speaking on her reasons for joining the programme, said "As a mother of teenage girls, I feel particularly touched by this issue. It's nice to be able to raise awareness about iron deficiency anaemia and its consequences. This is a serious issue in Nigeria for many mothers and teenage daughters, who need more iron for development. If we can persuade Nigerian women to make these small, yet powerful changes to their diet, there will be a positive impact on the well-being of not just themselves, but that of their family and ultimately Nigerian society in the long-term."
The Knorr social mission takes a holistic approach, not only 'Fork' – championing nutritious cooking, but also improving livelihoods of the most affected groups - 'Fortune' and helping smallholder farmers- 'Farm'
Fortune
To improve the livelihoods of women, the 'Fortune' element, Unilever has set up an inclusive business model "Gbemiga" with several partners in Nigeria, such as the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), the Growing Business Foundation and Society for Family Health (SFH). The model aims to improve the living standards by training the women to sell nutritious products and reinforcing the dietary changes that can help reduce the prevalence of iron deficiency in families across the country.
To help smallholder farmers become part of a sustainable supply chain in Nigeria, the 'Farm' element,Knorr is partnering with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The partnership will train local farmers in sustainable agriculture to equip them with the skills required to become part of this long-term sustainable supply chain and improve their livelihoods. This builds on Unilever's global experience supporting smallholder farmers and their communities with training, finance, nutrition and hygiene programmes.
Globally, Knorr is already set out to sustainably source 100 per cent of the vegetables, herbs and spices that go into its products by 2020. The brand believes this makes a big difference to the taste of the products, the future of the planet and the wellbeing of thousands of farmers. 96 per cent of Knorr's top 13 vegetables and herbs were sustainable as of January this year.
By championing nutritious cooking, helping smallholder farmers and providing improved livelihoods for women, together, we can make a positive impact for the future of Nigeria, farm, fortune and fork.
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