Browsing by Author "Bomfeh, K."
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Item Improving complementary feeding in Ghana: Reaching the vulnerable through innovative business-the case of KOKO Plus(Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2014-12) Ghosh, S.; Tano-Debrah, K.; Aaron, G.J.; Otoo, G.; Strutt, N.; Bomfeh, K.; Kitamura, S.; Suri, D.J.; Murakami, H.; Furuta, C.; Sarpong, D.; Saalia, F.; Nakao, Y.; Amonoo-Kuofi, H.; Uauy, R.; Toride, Y.Reaching vulnerable populations in low-resource settings with effective business solutions is critical, given the global nature of food and nutrition security. Over a third of deaths of children under 5 years of age are directly or indirectly caused by undernutrition. The Lancet series on malnutrition (2013) estimates that over 220,000 lives of children under 5 years of age can be saved through the implementation of an infant and young child feeding and care package. A unique project being undertaken in Ghana aims to bring in two elements of innovation in infant and young child feeding. The first involves a public-private partnership (PPP) to develop and test the efficacy and effectiveness of the delivery of a low-cost complementary food supplement in Ghana called KOKO Plus™. The second involves the testing of the concepts of social entrepreneurship and social business models in the distribution and delivery of the product. This paper shares information on the ongoing activities in the testing of concepts of PPPs, social business, social marketing, and demand creation using different delivery platforms to achieve optimal nutrition in Ghanaian infants and young children in the first 2 years of life. It also focuses on outlining the concept of using PPP and base-of-the-pyramid approaches toward achieving nutrition objectives. © 2014 New York Academy of Sciences.Item A macro- and micronutrient-fortified complementary food supplement reduced acute infection, improved haemoglobin and showed a dose–response effect in improving linear growth: a 12-month cluster randomised trial(Journal of Nutritional Science, 2019-05-16) Otoo, G.E.; Ghosh, S.A.; Strutt, N.R.; Suri, D.J.; Ankrah, J.; Johnson, T.; Nsiah, P.; Furuta, C.; Murakami, H.; Perera, G.; Chui, K.; Bomfeh, K.; Amonoo-Kuofi, H.; Tano-Debrah, K.; Uauy, R.Inadequate protein quality may be a risk factor for poor growth. To examine the effect of a macronutrient–micronutrient supplement KOKO Plus (KP), provided to infants from 6 to 18 months of age, on linear growth, a single-blind cluster-randomised study was implemented in Ghana. A total of thirtyeight communities were randomly allocated to receive KP (fourteen communities, n 322), a micronutrient powder (MN, thirteen communities, n 329) and nutrition education (NE, eleven communities, n 319). A comparison group was followed cross-sectionally (n 303). Supplement delivery and morbidity were measured weekly and anthropometry monthly. NE education was provided monthly. Baseline, midline and endline measurements at 6, 12 and 18 months included venous blood draws, diet, anthropometry, morbidity, food security and socio-economics. Length-for-age Z-score (LAZ) was the primary outcome. Analyses were intent-to-treat using mixed-effects regressions adjusted for clustering, sex, age and baseline. No differences existed in mean LAZ scores at endline (−1·219 (SD 0·06) KP, −1·211 (SD 0·03) MN, −1·266 (SD 0·03) NE). Acute infection prevalence was lower in the KP than NE group (P = 0·043). Mean serum Hb was higher in KP infants free from acute infection (114·02 (SD 1·87) g/l) than MN (107·8 (SD 2·5) g/l; P = 0·047) and NE (108·8 (SD 0·99) g/l; P = 0·051). Compliance was 84·9 % (KP) and 87·2 % (MN) but delivery 60 %. Adjusting for delivery and compliance, LAZ score at endline was significantly higher in the KP v. MN group (+0·2 LAZ; P = 0·026). A macro- and micronutrient-fortified supplement KP reduced acute infection, improved Hb and demonstrated a dose–response effect on LAZ adjusting consumption for delivery.Item Reducing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contamination in smoked fish in the Global South: a case study of an improved kiln in Ghana(Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 2019-05-11) Afoakwa, E.O.; Bomfeh, K.; Jacxsens, L.; Amoa-Awua, W.K.; Tandoh, I.; Gamarro, E.G.; Ouadi, Y.D.; De Meulenaer, B.BACKGROUND Smoked fish is a major source of animal protein in developing countries. It is largely produced by hot‐smoking on traditional kilns using fuelwood. This practice is associated with high polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination in products, with consequences for public health. An improved kiln, comprising the FAO‐Thiaroye Technique (FTT), has been introduced by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to address such a concern. The present study investigated the efficacy of the FTT in Ghana through comparative fish smoking experiments with traditional kilns followed by determination of PAH levels [benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) and PAH4] in the products by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. For each kiln, the effect of smoking fuel type on PAH contamination was determined. The impact of the design characteristics of the FTT on the levels of the compounds was also determined. RESULTS Mean BaP and PAH4 levels in the FTT products were up to 1.8 and 7.6 μg kg–1, respectively, whereas the corresponding levels in traditional kiln products were up to 70 and 395 μg kg–1. PAH levels in FTT products were below European Union regulatory limits, whereas levels in traditional kiln products exceed such limits by up to 33‐fold. Across kiln types, the use of wood fuels caused higher PAH contamination compared to the use of fully‐lit charcoal as an alternative fuel. CONCLUSION The improved kiln (FTT) is efficacious in yielding smoked fish with a PAH content lower than the levels in traditional kiln products and also below current regulatory limits. Kiln design and type of processing fuel have significant impacts on PAH contamination during fish smoking. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry