With one in three affected by malnutrition globally, hidden hunger is a prevalent but treatable epidemic. Africa is currently home to the highest levels of hidden hunger.

The UN stated in a report that, “of the 34 countries that account for 90% of the global burden of malnutrition, 22 are in Africa,” with 56 million children suffering stunted growth as a result.

But the good news is that an affordable solution appears to be on the horizon.

Marie Konaté, founder of Protein Kissèe-La (PKL), has created a key vitamin and mineral fortified cereal for children. Sourced locally from Côte d’Ivoire, the children’s cereal is targeted at the group most susceptible to hidden hunger: children under the age of 5.

As 46% of the African staple-based diet is composed of cereals, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Marie’s cereal is an affordable and delicious way to fight micro-malnutrition.

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) has teamed up with PKL to provide the powdered supplements that are added to the cereal, thus keeping the costs even lower to consumers.

The fortification of food staples has already been implemented in a variety of products, from Nestlé’s bouillon cubes with added iron and iodine in Western and Central Africa to cooking oil with iron and vitamin A in Senegal.

Yet, one of the simplest ingredients used globally could be one of the most effective in fighting hidden hunger: iodized salt.

Commonly used in developed nations, iodized salt looks, smells and tastes the same as non-iodized, costing only 5 to 10 cents per person per year, reports Aljazeera America.

Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDDs), including goiter, hypothyroidism, reproductive problems in adults and mental and structural defects in infants, can all be combated through the simple consumption of iodized salt.

GAIN estimates that the number of children dying under the age of 5 could be halved if they received better nutrition.

Given that a whole host of staple ingredients, including salt, grain and oil are able to be fortified without compromising the taste and appearance of the product, it’s only a matter of funding to drastically reduce the numbers of micronutrient deficient people globally.

At the 2015 Future Fortified summit in Tanzania, GAIN, the African Union, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Food Program and USAID hashed out a viable global plan to put an end to hidden hunger.

They estimated that for every dollar spent on ending malnutrition, $138 would be saved on healthcare and previously lost productivity.

Since then, the African Union has requested $150 million in donations to fund food fortification and progress analytics in 25 nations.

Going forward, as more countries commit to mandating fortification, hidden hunger is closer than ever to being a problem of the past.

– Claire Colby

Sources: Aljazeera America, Associated Press, EurActive, Food and Agriculture Organization, GAIN, Global Post, New York Times, UN, UNICEF
Photo: LinkedIn