By Chikondi Manjawira
BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism has acknowledged the need of disseminating food fortification awareness information to both urban and rural masses in order to empower consumers at all level to exercise their rights and demand what to buy on the market.
The Director in the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism Kedron Chisale made the acknowledgement during a food fortification monitoring and compliance workshop in Blantyre on Thursday.
Chisale said that the Ministry is emphasizing that all locally produced and imported cooking oil should be fortified on top of sugar, salt, Maize flour and Wheat flour.
“We are aware about the challenges and problems the nation is experiencing due to lack of proper nutrients in most of the food we are consuming. There are a number of strategies that we are trying to come up with as government.
“This will help minimize negative impacts micronutrient deficiency has on personal and economic growth as well as development of the country, said Chisale.”
Business community however expressed concern over the presence of original branded packages being sold after use on the markets. Other traders buy them and fill in fake product which they sell at a cheaper price hence killing the main market where traders invest a lot in fortifying the products yet not sold.
HMS Food Manager Akash Deep said that fraudulent traders are making it difficult for them to control products on the markets.
He therefore asked the consumers to not look at the price but ingredients available on the packages and also not to buy food products because are cheap hence the need to empower the public through sensitization campaigns.
Consumers Association of Malawi Executive Director, John Kapito said that quite a large of Malawians are now accessing fortified food products.
“Sugar is consumed by almost every Malawian, so the population that is using fortified sugar, salt and Wheat Flour by eating Mandasi, Scones and Bread. Maize Flour is a challenge, it is reaching only 1percent of the population because it is supposed to be centrally produced,” Kapito said.
Chairperson for Association of Spinabifida and Hydrocephalus in Malawi, Blessings Chapweteka, said the problem of diseases that come about due to micronutrients deficiency ending in disabilities is huge.
Francis Mponda aged 14 and Patience Namalima born in 1995 are victims of Hydrocephalus and Spinabifida respectively.
Francis does not walk and her mother said that she does not do any business or work to source funds for house needs because she spends most of the time looking after her son.
Seated calmly in her wheel chair, Patience Namalima said that she meets different challenges in life following her condition and she urged well wishers to help boost her business of selling airtime.
“I cannot walk, I am always on a wheel chair if I want to make a movement from one place to another. My body does not control wastes like stool and urine such that I put on diapers and catheter.
My plea to well wishers is to support me financially so that I boost the little business I do. I do sell airtime. I borrow little money from someone to buy airtime for sales because I don’t have capital, narrated Namalima.”
The food fortification monitoring and compliance half day workshop was organized by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism which saw the presence of the business community, Ministry of Health representatives, Food Fortification Initiative representatives from Uganda, parents, the media just to mention a few.