NESG, Partners Advocate Affordable Access To Nutrient-rich Foods

The Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) and its partners have called on the authorities and stakeholders in the food production chain to make nutritious food affordable to the public to entrench healthy living.
The effort was made at a roundtable for chief executive officers on Industrial Food Fortification and Workforce Nutrition with the theme “Profitable Protections: The Business Advantage of Industrial Food Fortification Compliance and Workforce Nutrition.”

Senator Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe remarked that a lot still needs to be done to make nutritious foods affordable and accessible to people. “Poor nutrition is more than a healthcare concern; it has tremendous, multifaceted economic implications. Poor diet leads to numerous chronic diseases, often resulting in disability and premature death. This deprives individuals of their health, quality of life, and productive potential, hindering their efforts to work full-time or at all, leading to lower wages.

“For employers, absenteeism, functional limitations among their employees, and the provision of health insurance pose tremendous costs. Nationally, the quality and quantity of the labour force determine economic output and government revenues. Simultaneously, demands for government resources increase as people incur more significant healthcare costs and become more dependent on assistance when they cannot work. Consequently, poor nutrition is a growing burden for Nigeria,” he stated.

In his welcome remarks, the CEO of Flour Mills Nigeria Plc, Oluboyede Olusanya, who was represented by the director of group strategy and stakeholders relations, Mr Sadiq Usman, said it was imperative to acknowledge the stark reality of the fact that Nigeria has one of the highest rates of malnutrition in the world.
Recent data shows that 44 per cent of children under five have chronic, longstanding malnutrition, with 11 per cent diagnosed with acute malnutrition. Olusanya said the prevalence of vitamin and mineral or micronutrient deficiencies surpasses these visible manifestations of malnutrition, underscoring a broader and less visible concern.

In his opening remarks, the country director of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), Dr Michael Ojo, said the economic rationale for embracing food fortification and workforce nutrition is compelling. He stated that for every dollar invested in fortification, Nigeria gains a return of up to fourteen dollars in reduced healthcare costs and enhanced productivity.

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Dr Ojo said the workforce nutrition scorecard, an initiative by GAIN and the Workforce Nutrition Alliance, underscores the importance of nutrition in the workplace and that by addressing malnutrition through initiatives like healthy food availability, nutrition education, and support for breastfeeding mothers, Nigeria can significantly improve the productivity and well-being of our workforce.

Facilitator of the NESG Agriculture and Food Security Policy Commission, Ms Gloria Ekpo, said deficiencies in one or more micronutrients such as iron, zinc, and vitamin A are widespread in low and middle-income countries, deficiencies she said compromise the physical and cognitive capacity of millions of people.

She recommended the continuous use of fortified food products and products rich in vitamins and minerals. Nutrient-rich food products enhance the nutritional content of meals, address malnutrition issues within the workforce, and showcase the organisation’s commitment to improving the health of its employees. Implement periodic nutrition awareness campaigns through various channels and engage professional nutritionists to conduct training sessions.

Senior programme manager at GAIN Dr Oluwatoyin Oyekenu said the government should look to reduce price differentials in fortified products, the digital fortification policy assessment traceability platform where fortification quality data is made available to government and producers in real-time. While speaking in the same vein, the founder of the Food Agriculture Nutrition Network (FANN), Dr Olapeju Phorbee, said that malnutrition affects people, but the ultimate impact is reflected in consumers.