By Pius Mathi, MSc. Candidate, Food Science and Technology, University of Nairobi, Kenya, and 2016 Next Generation Delegate 

Attending the Chicago Council on Global Affairs’ Global Food Security Symposium 2016 was the best experience yet for me. The whole scenario was as breathtaking as it was inspiring. It was a huge privilege to represent the East Africa region and the African continent at large. The discussions held at the symposium about attaining food security and feeding the future cities were all too familiar coming from a region that is experiencing large-scale urban development. Being a MSc. Candidate, I felt more than ever endowed with information and insights on how innovation and technology can enhance food security. The talk by Professor Tom Reardon and the inspiring story by Roger Thurow marked the epitome of the Symposium for me. Hearing stories of global food insecurity only affirms that the world is facing a unique and universal challenge.

In Africa, post-harvest food losses go as high as 50 percent in some supply chains, according to the FAO. This includes by-products that could potentially be utilized as ingredients in processed food products. Ironically, most of the people living in sub-Saharan Africa face acute malnutrition and food shortages. I am a strong believer of prudence in food usage to enhance sustained nutrition longevity. Reducing postharvest losses may effectively and sustainably increase the volume of available food, without encountering adverse effects on the regional ecological and economic situation (Hensel, 2009).

As a food technologist with a good understanding of nutritional status in East African populations, I designed sausages through the use of fresh treated blood in partial replacement of high cholesterol animal fat. The results were as impressive as they were impactful. The otherwise wasted blood yielded a high protein, significantly low fat and high iron content sausage. A 50 gram blood sausage provides up to 28 milligrams of iron against the Recommended Daily Amount of 8 mg and 14 mg for adult men and women, respectively. Further, a processor who uses the fresh blood as an ingredient in sausage production can lower the production cost with as much as $250 per ton of sausage produced. All this because blood that would have ended up in a ditch with a potential to cause diseases and illness to the population was constructively utilized. Why should all that protein go to waste when so many people suffer deficiencies? What if all food technologists and allied stakeholders came up with products that utilize agricultural by-products? Would that not mean lower food loss and better nutritional status for the developing countries where post-harvest wastage is a menace? There is a unique opportunity for scientists to positively impact food systems now more than ever before.

As a 2016 Chicago Council Next Generation Delegate, I feel more obliged to continue finding solutions through research to ensure that food wastage comes to an end. I intend to train more small-scale farmers on simple technological applications that enhance food post-harvest shelf life. This has the potential to impact a huge population, given that the majority of the East African farmers are small scale. There is hope with prudence.

Read previous posts in the Next Generation Delegation 2016 Commentary Series:

• Perspectives at the Global Food Security Symposium 2016
• Food Safety: An Opportunity Often Overlooked when Planning How to Feed Our Burgeoning Population 
• Investing in Younger Generations Is Key to Solving World Hunger by 2050 
• Made in _______: Distant Food Demand Lead to Local Water Issues 
• Reevaluating the Agricultural Development Agenda
• Promoting Food Security While Avoiding the Nutrition Transition