Ending malnutrition in Africa: BNSL re-launch ‘Enrich’

As part of efforts to end malnutrition in Africa, BNSL Nigeria re-launched its micronutrient powder, ‘Enrich’, focused predominantly on young children.

Speaking at the ceremony, yesterday, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of the company, Ms. Chioma Odimegwu, said that the aim of re-launching ‘Enrich’ was to bring the world’s attention to the plight of hundreds of millions of malnourished children all over the world, most especially, within Africa.

“Nigeria, a middle-income country is home to the highest number of stunted children in the continent, and ranks 3rd globally with more than 10million stunted children. 41 percent of all children fewer than five are chronically malnourished and 23 percent are underweight. One million children in this group die annually.

“This menace is usually caused by poverty, poor child feeding practices, lack of proper sanitation, lack of clean water, inadequate maternal nutrition and uninformed practices amongst others. The magnitude of the problem must be met with a response that reflects the scale and gravity of the situation. In this regard, the company looks forward to delivering fortification as an efficient solution to a national challenge, and to drive a meaningful impact.
Odimegwu explained that Enrich is a micronutrient powder which is to be sprinkled and mixed with ready to eat food.

She further explained: “It is a blend of essential vitamins and minerals, with specially encapsulated iron, for easier digestion. Enrich provides a convenient formulation for supplementing any low nutrient food. Majorly, it is targeted to meet the daily recommended nutrient intake of children above six months of age. The features are, free flowing powder, it is relatively tasteless. Does not change the taste, smell or color of the food. Enrich is packed in 1g sachet, with 60 sachets placed in a single box”.

The BNSL boss noted, they has successfully delivered over 20 million micronutrient powder sachets to various Government agencies, private companies and development partners from 2014 till date.

“We manufacture and distribute our own brand of nutrient-enriched premixes and veterinary drugs using current Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). We also constantly strive to maintain the most stringent global and local standards in our area of operation while acquiring state of the art equipment. The company works closely with regulatory bodies in Nigeria and Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN).

“We are GFSI FSSC 22000 certified and Halal certified from Intertek. Periodically, BNSL Nigeria manufacturing facility is audited by both local and international regulatory and certification bodies to ensure conformity to established standards and regulations,” she stressed.