Impact and validation of innovative community based complementary foods safety assurance method in rural Ethiopia

Project Summary

Principal investigator(s):

Abebe Ayelign Addis Ababa University

Doctorate:

Food Science and Human Nutrition (Addis Ababa University, 2017)

Duration:

12 months (from August 2020)

Value:

£50,000

Countries of research:

Ethiopia

Home mentor: Professor Sarah De Saeger, Ghent University (Belgium)

Host mentor: Dr. Taddese Alemu, Dilla University (Ethiopia)

Bio:

Abebe received his PhD in Food Science and Human Nutrition from Addis Ababa University in 2017. His thesis research focused on aflatoxin and microbial contamination of complementary foods and exposure assessment among young children using urinary aflatoxin biomarkers in Ethiopia. Prior to receiving his PhD, he also received an MSc in Food Science and Human Nutrition at Addis Ababa University where he studied the stability of micronutrients in fortified food stuffs after processing and storage. Abebe has worked extensively as a researcher, academician and consultant in the area of food science, food safety, human nutrition, food fortification, micronutrient deficiencies, nutritional assessment and postharvest management techniques.

Project summary:

Nutrition during the first 1000 days of life, particularly the transition to complementary foods (CF) is critical to nutritional status of children. However, infection(s) and poor feeding practices continue to affect the nutrition of millions. As such, CFs and their ingredients are often contaminated by aflatoxins and microbial pathogens. Therefore, ensuring the safety of community-based CFs in terms of aflatoxins and microbial pathogens are a goal worth achieving. To ensure the safety of the community-based CFs, a method known as an hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) based standard operating procedure (SOP) was developed and training was given in 2016 to key actors at grassroots level to the health extension workers (HEWs), mothers/caregivers and women development army (WDA) for its implementation. Hence, the primary aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of the method in terms of the nutritional status and health status of the young children and the safety of the CFs in terms of aflatoxin contamination. A secondary aim is to validate the method in another setup, more specifically in the Ethiopian Somali region for potential recommendation to nationwide scale up. The study will be conducted using retrospective cohort study design (aim 1) and quasi-experimental methods (aim 2).

Briefing note:

Community-based complementary foods (CFs) safety assurance method improves the nutritional status among children under-five