Locally-Procured Fish Is Essential in School Feeding Programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Fish make an important contribution to micronutrient intake, long-chained polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFAS), and animal protein, as well as ensuring food and nutrition security and livelihoods for fishing communities. Micronutrient deficiencies are persistent in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), contributing to public health issues not only in the first 1000 days but throughout adolescence and into adulthood. School feeding programs (SFPs) and home-grown school feeding programs (HGSF), which source foods from local producers, particularly fisherfolk, offer an entry point for encouraging healthy diets and delivering essential macro- and micronutrients to schoolchildren, which are important for the continued cognitive development of children and adolescents and can contribute to the realization of sustainable development goals (SDGs) 1, 2, 3, 5, and 14. The importance of HGSF for poverty alleviation (SDG1) and zero hunger (SDG 2) have been recognized by the United Nations Hunger Task Force and the African Union Development Agency–New Partnership for African Development (AUDA-NEPAD), which formulated a strategy for HGSF to improve nutrition for the growing youth population across Africa. A scoping review was conducted to understand the lessons learned from SFPs, which included fish and fish products from small-scale producers, identifying the challenges and best practices for the inclusion of fish, opportunities for improvements across the supply chain, and gaps in nutritional requirements for schoolchildren which could be improved through the inclusion of fish. Challenges to the inclusion fish in SFPs include food safety, supply and access to raw materials, organizational capacity, and cost, while good practices include the engagement of various stakeholders in creating and testing fish products, and repurposing fisheries by-products or using underutilized species to ensure cost-effective solutions. This study builds evidence of the inclusion of nutritious fish and fish products in SFPs, highlighting the need to replicate and scale good practices to ensure sustainable, community-centred, and demand-driven solutions for alleviating poverty, malnutrition, and contributing to greater health and wellbeing in adolescence.

Tilapia aquaculture, emerging diseases, and the roles of the skin microbiomes in health and disease

“…Fish furthermore contain long-chained poly-unsaturated fatty acids, together with many micronutrients (e.g. calcium, iron, zinc), vitamins, and minerals, which are dietary elements especially important for nutritionally vulnerable people (Ahern et al 2021;Arthur et al 2022;Béné et al 2016Béné et al , 2015HLPE 2014). Recognizing the health potential of fish, many countries, including India, Brazil, Chile, and sub-Saharan African countries, have incorporated fish into their national school-feeding programmes (Ahern et al 2021;Béné et al 2016;Wineman et al 2022).…”

How value addition by utilization of tilapia processing by‐products can improve human nutrition and livelihood

“…15,16 However, there is evidence that the crucial first 1000 days extend for an additional 7000 days throughout adolescence, linking two crucial time periods-the first 1000 days of life and women of reproductive age, particularly important for adolescent girls. [17][18][19][20][21][22][23] Aquatic foods can improve human health through at least three pathways: by reducing micronutrient deficiencies that can lead to subsequent disease; by providing a unique source of the omega-3 longchain polyunsaturated fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) which may reduce the risk of heart disease and promote brain and eye health; and by displacing the consumption of less-healthy red and processed meats that can cause adverse health outcomes. 24,25 Many fish, and other aquatic animals, naturally obtain health promoting long chain omaega-3 fatty acids from consumption of, or bio-accumulation from, marine microalgae.…”

“…Aquatic foods are rich in numerous vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and micronutrients essential to cognitive development and human health, particularly in the first 1000 days of a child's life 15,16 . However, there is evidence that the crucial first 1000 days extend for an additional 7000 days throughout adolescence, linking two crucial time periods—the first 1000 days of life and women of reproductive age, particularly important for adolescent girls 17–23 …”

Unlocking the Potential of Fish to Improve Food and Nutrition Security in Sub-Saharan Africa

“…Fish, particularly small fish, may be the most accessible, affordable, or preferred source of animal protein for many poor or rural populations [9]. Researchers concur that fish consumption has several benefits to human nutrition and health which include but are not limited to, reducing blood pressure, lowering cholesterol levels [48], preventing cancer, and decreasing inflammatory diseases such as arthritis [49], as well as improving maternal and childhood health outcomes, supporting cognitive development, alleviating stunting in children, strengthening the immune system, and reducing cardiovascular disease [14,45,50]. The FAO and World Health Organization [51] argue that the combination of EPA and DHA in fish, oily fish, in particular, lowers the risk of coronary heart disease mortality by up to 36%.…”

“…Poly-unsaturated fatty acids in the form of DHA positively influence the optimal brain and neural system development in neonates and infants which is particularly important during pregnancy and the first two years of life [46]. Fish also improves the absorption of micronutrients such as iron and zinc from plant-source foods when consumed together [48].…”