Joint Complementary Food Project Workshop Held

Participants in a group photograph after the workshop

The Department of Nutrition and Food Science has organized a joint complementary food project results dissemination workshop. The purpose of the workshop was to ascertain the efficacy and effectiveness of a complementary food supplement (KOKO Plus) in improving the nutritional status of Ghanaian infants aged 6 to 24 months, based on a research conducted in Ghana.

The Provost of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, Prof. Ebenezer Owusu who represented the Vice-Chancellor said the project has attracted several implementing partners to become a unique multi-lateral public-private partnership. He cited key indicators of the 2014 Ghana demographic and health survey which revealed that stunting is still prevalent among children in Ghana. Prof. Owusu also expressed concern about the prevalence of anemia, attributing it to the poor complementary foods given to infants. While lauding the collaborative partnership of the joint complementary food project, he said the approach was perfectly in tune with the university’s strategic vision of engaging with partners in research projects. He mentioned some key partnerships that have existed between the University and its Japanese partners, such as the establishment of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research. The Provost encouraged prospective partners with ideas and initiatives to engage the university in public-private partnerships.

The Head of the Nutrition Department of the Ghana Health Service, Mrs. Esi Amoafo who delivered the keynote address,emphasized the need to find lasting solutions to the problem of under nutrition among infants. She said this could be done by providing complementary food that is available, affordable, acceptable and safe to meet the growth needs of children. She cautioned that the period from pregnancy till a child attained 2 years is a critical period for adequate nutrition. Mrs. Amoafo noted that according to the Ghana Health Service, 1 out of every 5 children under the age of 5 suffers from stunting, which makes such children smaller than theirage group mates. She indicated that stunting is largely irreversible after the age of 2.  She further cited statistics from the Ghana Health Service which indicate that about 50% of death in children in developing countries including Ghana is attributable to malnutrition. She called for the establishment of integrated delivery systems and strategies, as well as social marketing and education campaigns to solve the problem.

Prof. Kwaku Tano-Debrah of the Department of Nutrition and Food Science who together with some partners conceived the Complementary Food Project idea noted the purpose of the workshop was to present and report to stakeholders the key findings and developments of the project based on a survey conducted in the Northern and Eastern regions. He thanked all the stakeholders who helped in the launching and implementation of the project. Speaking on the development and production of KOKO Plus, Prof.K.Tano-Debrah explained that KOKO plus is a high quality complementary food supplement with protein (containing the recommended amounts of all essential amino acids and micronutrients) which has been developed in a collaborative research study to address malnutrition in infants in Ghana. He pointed out that the nutritional efficacy and effectiveness of delivery channels of the product has been tested in different communities.

The Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency Mr. Shigeru Umetsu spoke on the adverse effects of malnutrition as a significant indirect cause of child mortality. He indicated that the complementary food project is supported by the Ghana Health Service, NGOs, international agencies and the private sector. He said the Japanese government is delighted to lend its support to the project through Ajinomoto and has provided 2million dollars to support malnutrition globally. He commended workers at the Sunyani plant where KOKO Plus is produced for the good work.

Dr. Shibani Ghosh, from the International Nutrition Foundation (INF), who is one of the initiators of the project gave a graphical presentation on the effect of KOKO Plus on the growth pattern of Ghanaian infants. The presentation revealed the findings of a three arm community based randomized controlled intervention.

Another initiator of the project, Dr. Grant Aaron of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition,(GAIN) made a presentation at the workshop on marketing and distribution of KOKO Plus. He elaborated on this by making a comparison of two market-based approaches which were used in conducting a survey in the Northern and Eastern regions respectively.

Speaking on the way forward, the Director of Nutrition Improvement Projects at Ajinomoto, Dr Yasuhiko Toride spoke on the prospects and challenges in scaling up the nutrition project. He noted that the Ghana Nutrition Improvement Project is a multi-stakeholder, private-partnership project with the goal of establishing a “Social Business” model which is a sustainable business to solve social problems such as infant malnutrition in developing countries.He said that the scaling up could be achieved by having a close collaboration with the public sector such as the Ghana Health Service and NGOs to provide nutrition education to mothers in rural communities. Dr Yasuhiko Taride encouraged the consumption of KOKO Plus as it is both delicious, nutritious and at an affordable price. He recommended KOKO Plus as a healthy food supplement.

The Chairperson for the workshop was Prof. Matilda Steiner-Asiedu, Dean of the School of Biological Sciences.

There was a question and answer session and the audience asked some pertinent questions and also made some key contributions.

Representatives from the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Plan International, Care International, Yedent Agro Company Limited, University of Cape Coast (UCC), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the USAID who are partners on the project delivered remarks at the workshop.