Why more Kenyans need to take uji

More Kenyans in urban households are consuming improved porridge to boost their nutrition, a new study says.

According to International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), a similar trend has been observed in Uganda as more urban poor seek cheaper and more viable alternatives to fight malnutrition and over –nutrition.

In Kenya, improved flour contained maize, beans, bananas, orange-fleshed pumpkin, carrots and amaranth leaves; in Uganda, it includes maize, soybean, amaranth, beans and moringa leaves.

According to CIAT researchers, malnutrition remains a serious problem for many people in East Africa.

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Poor consumers are willing to pay a premium for healthier foods, pointing to a new strategy for improving nutrition at a large scale.

“Producing nutritious foods affordable to this consumer category, especially women and children who are highly hit by malnutrition, could assist in changing this narrative,” says Christine Chege, a scientist at CIAT and the study’s lead author.

According to Dr Chege, soft porridge is widely used to complement children’s food and is consumed by lactating and pregnant women in East Africa.

About 94 percent of consumers in both countries would pay a premium for more nutritious porridge flour, results show.