WFP buys local high-nutrient food to feed malnourished

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) announced on Thursday that it had acquired 130 mt of a highly nutritious blended food used to feed malnourished children and adults. Known as UNIMIX, the blended food is produced by the DUHAMIC company of Kigali. It is made from maize meal and soya fortified with essential vitamins and minerals, and can be used to make porridge or biscuits to restore the strength of the malnourished. “Our beneficiaries are happy with the taste of UNIMIX, as it is made from foods that they are used to because they are grown right here in Rwanda,” WFP representative to Rwanda Mustapha Darboe said. Since last year, WFP has been working with DUHAMIC and other Rwandan companies with the potential to produced specialised foods that are easy to prepare and contain essential nutrients. WFP noted that by buying the local mix, it was supporting the development of local production of blended food. “WFP has the unique ability to combine aid and trade. This is a powerful combination for the promotion of sustainable development,” Darboe said. “WFP undertakes a stringent and detailed analysis of the likely impact of food purchases on local agriculture, farmers, food prices and markets to ensure that these are not disrupted by our food assistance programmes. It is a careful balancing act that depends on close monitoring of markets and the collaboration of other food-buying agencies to ensure that we are all not running after the same scarce commodity.”