In furtherance of efforts to stem the tide of protein deficiency in the country, especially in the light of the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic, Nigerians have been advised to complement their meals with protein food sources.

Beatrice Oganah (PhD), a nutritionist and Chief Lecturer at the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Lagos, who made this call, noted that the major cause of protein deficiency in humans is inadequate consumption of protein in meals. In Nigeria, this is further worsened by the way the family diet is usually plated.

According to Dr. Oganah, “In Nigeria, carbohydrates and other food nutrients on the plate are usually in the ratio of 5:1. For example, a typical Nigerian plate for lunch of ‘swallow’, or a rice-based dish, is 80 per cent ‘swallow’ (Eba, Amala, Tuwo or Pounded yam) to 20 per cent soup (containing vegetables, beef/fish and spices) for all ages. For younger children, the beef/fish and soup is even less than 20 per cent.”

She revealed that studies, notably the National Nutrition Health Survey 2018 and the Nigerian Protein Deficiency Report 2019, have shown over the years, the prevalence of protein deficiency in Nigeria, especially among the vulnerable.

This deficiency manifests in the form of low-birth-weight, stunting, wasting, under-weight and the burden of infectious diseases, and its complications as a result of low immunity.

The nutritionist stated that protein is present in plants (mainly legumes – cowpea, locally called beans, soybeans, groundnut, lentils, black beans kidney beans, lima beans, jack beans, green peas, almond, cashew nuts, pigeon pea, Bambara (Okpa), melon, sesame seed, oil bean seed, etc.) and animal food sources like meat, seafood, milk, eggs, milk, among others.

She added: “The quality of the proteins from both sources is not the same. Proteins from animal sources are higher in biological value- meaning that animal protein is superior to plant protein. Animal proteins are also more expensive than plant proteins essentially because of the cost and time of breeding and processing before it is ready for sale. Legumes, on the other hand, are grown and sold in the markets all year round in Nigeria. All legumes contain a significant quantity of proteins; however, soybean stands out because its amino acid content is comparable to that of animal protein, both in quality and quantity.”

Oganah suggested that one of the methods of increasing the gap between legumes production and consumption is meal complementation with legumes, particularly soybean.

She explained that the concept of complementary proteins arose from the need to blend plant protein-rich foods with other foods and consume as a meal in one sitting. This complementation, or blending, can be done at the household and industrial levels.

If properly implemented, it would boost the consumption of soybean, enhance quality protein intake, boost the health of individuals and families and reduce food budget since soybean is cheaper than meat and fish.

Oganah noted that this technique is more important now especially in the midst of the pandemic, when the cost of meat and seafood has increased astronomically,while the purchasing power of the populace has progressively reduced.

She remarked that at the household level, soybean flour can be added during meal preparation to staple foods such as elubo, garri, semo, yam/sweet potatoes/plantain pottage; incorporated into soups, sauces and stews; use as soup thickeners in Banga, Nsala and black soups and as a composite with cowpea (beans) in making moimoi and akara balls.

At the industrial level, she noted that, food processing companies can contribute to the fight against protein deficiency through research, development of composite self-raising flour containing soybean with comparable texture and quality that can be used to produce confectioneries. Noodles, spaghetti and Macaroni can also be simulated from soybean composite flour to suit the nutrition transition trend of the young people and at the same time boost their quality protein intake.

She concluded that nutrition education was also a key ingredient in the quest to reduce protein deficiency in Nigeria.

The Federal Government has been called upon to urgently develop and implement a national protein-led nutrition policy to address and curtail the rising incidence of protein deficiency in Nigeria.

Dr. Adepeju Adeniran, a professional physician and an experienced public health expert, who made this call recently, noted that efforts to effectively tackle protein deficiency must include household food improvement, enhanced protein availability, protein affordability and multi-sectoral planning.

Adeniran, who is also the co-founder and national chairperson of the Nigerian chapter of Women in Global Health, tasked the government to prioritise the availability and affordability of protein-rich foods in the country.

Speaking on the nutritional requirements of the average individual, she stated that carbohydrates, proteins, healthy oils and minerals all have their place in healthy diet compositions, but proteins are nearly always neglected.

The public health expert explained that the need for a national protein nutrition policy arises from the urgent desire to target measured problems like household food security, child under-nutrition, maternal and child health, infectious disease prevention, amongst other national indicators.

According to Dr Adeniran, “A nutritional policy could target the public’s access to information about a nutrition-related health condition. For example, the United States public-private collaboration campaign to influence the increase in public dairy consumption tagged, “got milk?” Nutrition policies have also targeted fortification of foods with minerals to increase the public’s consumption of such nutrients through eating foods rich in them. Many examples of these exist in global health.”

Adepeju revealed that “In Nigeria, iodine deficiency was combated by increasing the public’s education of the benefits of iodine in the diet, improving the knowledge of iodine deficiency conditions and finally by the fortification of domestic table salt with iodine to increase the consumption of iodine in the home.”

She stated, “In Vietnam, iron-deficiency anaemia was targeted by delivering iron supplements especially to women of childbearing age as a response to national surveys which identified anaemia as a prevalent national problem in that country. The supplements were delivered through the village health workers directly to the women, alongside de-worming medications.”

The medical expert reiterated that the protein deficiency problem in Nigeria has been on the rise, with various research surveys and reports confirming the indices are at a high level in the nation.

She said: “Data extracted from the Nigerian Protein Deficiency Report states that about 51 per cent of the survey respondents did not have access to protein-rich foods because of the high costs.

The report also highlighted the factors that influence the choice of meals in the home: availability of the food source, affordability of the food, taste of the food, knowledge of the nutritional value and personal choice or preference of the buyer.”

Dr. Adeniran advised the government to utilise a multi-pronged approach to implement the nutrition policy to alleviate malnutrition in Nigeria. “To design and implement an effective nutritional protein policy, public awareness and education about the benefits of protein should not be limited to school education and theory only,” she asserted.

She added that “Re-learning and a lifelong familiarity about the benefits of protein to the home-maker should be taught consistently in public spaces like hospitals, primary health care centres, community centres and even in religious centres.”

She posited that agriculture food production policies could also support farmers by way of fertilizer and farm-to-market transport subsidies. She said: “Government-initiated protein produce purchases will aid small- and large-scale farmers in various regions across the board and also encourage farmers to produce protein-rich plants for livestock feed and average consumers.”

Dr. Adeniran equally advised that the agricultural supply chains can be enhanced by import/export policies that prioritise protein-rich foods.

Since October 25, 1995, when the international community officially celebrated the inaugural World Pasta Day, pasta has consistently maintained its ranking as one of the world’s most versatile food staples. Based on data supplied by Nielsen & Co, a global marketing research firm, pasta isregarded as one of the most consumed food products in the world and the industry continues to record outstanding sales growth year on year.

According to the International Pasta Organisation (IPO), the positive consumer sentiment towards the consumption of pasta is strengthened by the increasing market demand for healthy meals, of which the food variety is one because it is plant-based, energy-dense, easy to store and distribute.

As such, pasta consumption has been on the upward trajectory across markets such as Asia at 8.6%, and Africa at 2.6%. The dynamic growth trend in these two markets foreshadows the future of food consumption among citizens of densely populated countries comprising India, Nigeria, and Saharan Africa.

This penchant for consuming pasta serves up a template by which agro-processing firms should approach their markets in support of their host governments and the efforts of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to improve food security.

The positive consumption trend aligns with what Paolo Barrilla, the President of the International Pasta Organisation (IPO) said regarding the popularity of pasta based recipes among global consumers: “Pasta is increasingly appreciated and valued around the world as the centre of a delicious meal with lots of nutritional benefits. It is also accessible, respectful of the planet, and brings people together joyfully.”

In Nigeria, pasta is rated as one of the choice foodstaples. Spaghetti and macaroni,two popular variants of pastaoccupy retail shelves across the local markets, and supermarkets. On a visit to popular local marketplaces, from the thickly and highly trafficked consumer marketplace such as Oke-Arin, situated on Lagos Island, to the fresh produce market of Mile 12, alongside notable retail stores such as Shoprite, Spar, Ebeano, Justrite, and Supersaver; the Nigerian consumers would be seen adding one form of pasta food variety or the other to their shopping baskets or carts.

Pasta is a rich source of carbohydrates andcontains other valuable nutrients like micro-vitamins and fibre. The nutritional value and affordability of Pasta has helped the category to see a surge in its consumption in Nigeria.

A manager at Spar, one of the popular hypermarket stores in Nigeria, was quoted in one of the national dailies recently saying, “People are purchasing more and more of spaghetti now. The demand for spaghetti and macaroni is increasing. For us, demand has approximately increased in excess of 10 per cent over the same period last year.”

Pasta is produced from wheat and its economic contributions as part of the wheat family is invaluable. Yearly, the wheat value chain has been reported to add around 13 million jobs to the Nigerian economy. The expansive milling industry; the growing demand for wheat-based foods such as pasta; and the vast retail and transportation networks set up to source and deliver the products to the consumers’ tables lay credence to that claim.

Essentially, the gastronomic and economic contributions of pasta to the wellness of the citizens, the livelihood of the national labour force, in addition to the Federal Government’s drive to feed a national population cannot be underestimated. It should rather be applauded.

One of the leading manufacturers of pasta products in Nigeria is Crown Flour Mill Limited.

A part of the Olam Grains business in Nigeria; Crown Flour Mill Limited acquired Dangote Flour Mill and Bua FlourMill between 2016 and 2019.

The expansive scale of production, innovative technology, and skill-set at the disposal of the coalesced firm is a formidable asset that is allowing the production of nourishing food at prices that consumers across all the socio-economic cadres can afford. Precisely, this has proven key to nourishing the stomachs of the sprawling Nigerian populations most of who earn less than $1 a day.

As the Federal Government continues to reinforce strategies to boost food security, the capacity of Crown Flour Mill Limited to make vital foods such as Pasta available at the right quality and at the most affordable price for consumers will continue to ensure food security.

Ashish Pande, Managing Director, Crown Flour Mill Limited, said, “Our wide range of qualitypasta brands are household brands. They are very popular with Nigerian consumers. The consumer preferences on pasta vary across the different regions of Nigeria.These preferences include variations in shape, thickness and texture.

Crown Flour Mills provides a variety of pasta products to cater to each consumer’s preference. Our technological and supply chain capabilities ensure that we provide high quality pasta at an affordable price.”

The company produces brands such as Crown Premium Pasta, Crown Pasta, Bua Pasta and Dangote pasta.

As the international community celebrates World Pasta Daytoday, October 25, 2020; the Nigerian consumers can rest assured that Crown Flour Mill will continue to make high quality, non-sticky and great tasting pasta available at affordable pricing.