Stakeholders from the Aliko Dangote Foundation and the Sight and Life Foundation have called on Nigeria to embrace fermented foods to improve food security, reduce waste, and build a more sustainable food system.
At a roundtable discussion held yesterday, both organisations unveiled a report titled “Fermentation: An Ancient Solution to Modern Challenges”, which highlights how traditional fermentation practices can help reduce Nigeria’s growing post-harvest food loss.
The Africa Director of Sight and Life Foundation, Dr Mairo Mandara, speaking on the report’s findings, said that fermentation could play a major role in addressing Nigeria’s post-harvest challenges if properly utilised.
She stated that the country currently loses about 45 per cent of its food harvest, and noted that fermentation could significantly reduce these losses.
According to her, “Fermented foods, which were once central to traditional diets and vital to good health, are now being replaced by processed foods due to urbanisation,” warning that the shift contributes to rising health problems across the country.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Aliko Dangote Foundation, Zouera Youssoufou, explained that the event was organised in collaboration with the Sight and Life Foundation to explore new ways of strengthening Nigeria’s food system through fermentation.
She said the initiative will connect nutrition, food preservation, and sustainability, using an age-old method to address modern food production and consumption challenges.
In her remarks, the Director and Head of the Nutrition Department at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Ladidi Bako-Aiyegbusi, stated that Nigeria continues to face a high burden of malnutrition.
She added that the Federal Government is implementing several efforts to tackle the nutrition crisis across the country.
Supporting the call for safe practices, Professor Veronica Obatolu, a Professor of Human Nutrition at the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, Obafemi Awolowo University, stressed the need for quality control in food fermentation.
She said fermented foods must be prepared under hygienic, safe conditions to protect consumers and preserve their nutritional value.
The Director for Health and Nutrition at the Aliko Dangote Foundation, Francis Aminu, noted that fermentation is a promising future food trend, especially as Nigeria seeks sustainable ways to reduce food loss and improve public health.
