Nunu brand fights stunted growth in children

Nunu Milk brand from the stable of Nutricima attempts to tackle malnutrition in Nigeria. It is said that malnutrition (generally referred to as under-nutrition) results from consumption of food with less calorie and other minerals. It contributes to stunted growth among children and other diseases including brain damage and mental retardation. Daniel Obi assesses Nunu’s efforts to combat these diseases with objective to contribute to economic growth.
The already existing high level of malnutrition in the country may bloat as a result of the present economic difficulties. Already consumers are under severe pressure to meet daily meal. BusinessDay reported last Thursday that “Nigerians, especially workers in the public sector are coming under severe pressure from rising cost of living as their wages remain stagnant”. This is in the face of high rate of inflation at 18.3 % in October.
The condition is likely to compel families to eat diet which nutrients are not enough to sustain the body resulting in under-nutrition or malnourishment. According to medical experts, malnutrition is often used specifically to refer to under-nutrition where there are not enough calories, protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and other minerals.
Nutritionists say “Individuals are malnourished, or suffer from under-nutrition if their diet does not provide them with adequate calories and protein for maintenance and growth, or they cannot fully utilize the food they eat due to illness”.
Malnutrition remains a great challenge, particularly for mothers and children in Nigeria. In July this year, Unicef revealed that more than 2.5 million children in Nigeria are currently suffering from severe acute malnutrition, this is a concern to stakeholders in a country with abundant resources including oil and gas. It is also said that each year, more than one million Nigerian children die before their fifth birthday and malnutrition contributes nearly half of these deaths.
Apart from death cases, malnutrition causes dysfunctional growth in children. Actigenomics website clarifies that “Nutritional deficiencies resulting from malnutrition are a leading cause of stunted growth. However, these deficiencies may not only result from food scarcity and poverty. Failure to absorb nutrients and energy from food, even in sufficient amount, will also eventually lead to impaired growth”.
It further said that malnutrition in children causes diseases such as kwashiorkor (acute form of protein-energy malnutrition), anemia (impaired blood system), that triggers concentration disabilities) or rickets (impaired growth of the bones), and blindness (caused by vitamin A deficiency). “In particular, iron deficiency is recognized the most common cause of anemia. Impaired mental development due to iron deficiency in babies under 2 years old affects 40 to 60% of children in developing countries. Iodine deficiency (mainly during pregnancy) is the world’s most significant cause of preventable brain damage and mental retardation in human populations”, the site states
It also said that malnutrition weakens the immune system and thus increases the risk of infections and diseases.
The Actigenomics website noted that children are the most visible victims of malnutrition stating that in the developing countries, one of three children is malnourished, accounting for up to 50% of total children deaths. According to the site, the three most common known deficiencies are iron, vitamin A and iodine.
“Infantile malnutrition is not only a major risk of child death, but also has long-term disastrous effects on health, reaching far beyond metabolic disorders. It can cause learning disabilities, mental retardation, blindness and poor immunity. In many cases, the problem already appears before birth, with a malnourished mother”, Actigenomics website further states.
Effects of malnutrition are not only to the affected child or families but it threatens national economies. It is believed that a nation could lose up to 2 percent of its GDP as children who suffer from lack of minerals including iron, iodine, and zinc deficiencies may not be healthy for productive activities. Nigeria is already ranked among countries with the highest number of children suffering from malnutrition. This is alarming to a country which needs healthy workforce for the economy.
Concerned about the debilitating effects of malnutrition on especially children, families and national economy, it was therefore cheering when management of Nutricima, maker of Nunu drink went into research and came out with a product formulation that it said delivers 30% Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) nutrition needed for a child’s healthy living and growth.
Nutricima, subsidiary of PZ Cussons believes that good nutrition plays an important role in the growth process of every child. With Nunu, it believes there is an urgent need to provide children with the right nutrition during their formative years, hence the launch of Nunu Smart Growth.
Speaking at the unveiling of the product recently in Lagos, the Marketing Director, Kalyan Bandyopadhyay explained that the Smart-Growth formulation delivers 30% Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) to help children grow every day so that they can fulfill their potentials. Nunu milk is rich in proteins and other vitamins which are essential nutrients required for children’s mental growth and development , he said.
Bandyopadhyay stated that as a kid’s specialist brand, Nunu Smart-Growth Formulation seeks to address malnutrition and stunted growth amongst children which according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) can take variety of forms such as protein-energy malnutrition, iodine deficiency disorders and deficiencies of iron and vitamin A.
At Nutricima, “we believe that good nutrition for children is vital for healthy growth and general wellbeing which is the major concern of most mothers and with the smart growth formulation they can feel secured knowing that their children have all they require to grow every day and achieve their full potentials,” he said.
Nunu Smart Growth, according to the company is endorsed by the Nutrition Society of Nigeria. Relying on its recent studies, the company said children between ages 7 – 12 years who are regularly exposed to nutrients offered by products like Nunu milk have steady growth and develop faster.
According to a Dietitian at the Nutrition Society of Nigeria, Coates-Romoke Oludayo, in a statement, “based on the latest data from UNICEF, an estimated 11% of children age 5 – 8 and 1.7 million in Nigeria alone suffer from acute malnutrition while 40% and 10.1 million children in Nigeria are affected by chronic malnutrition (stunting) hence, with Smart Growth Formulation, mothers can be rest assured that their children will have access to all the nutrients they require to grow healthy.”
“We encourage Nigerians to reduce the rate of malnutrition and stunted growth amongst children by introducing proper nutrients and smartly incorporating nutritious milk into their meals. Nunu has been certified to contain needed daily nutritional requirements that enable children grow every day and we as experts are endorsing it for the nutritional benefits, fitness and alertness it provides when consumed,” she said.
Explaining the essence of smart growth and its importance to mothers and their kids, Brand Manager, Nunu, Nathaniel Adewusi said, “malnutrition is probably the most common cause of growth failure. Children are the most affected by it and that is why Nutricima believes that good nutrition plays an important role in the growth process of every child. Stunted growth, malnutrition, poor nutrition are some of the prevailing challenges amongst Nigerian children. Nunu believes there is an urgent need to provide children with the right nutrition during their formative years, hence the launch of Nunu Smart Growth.”
Adewusi added that: every mother’s interest is centered on their children growing mentally and physically and achieving their full potentials and our concern at Nutricima is to help them achieve this. With a brand like Nunu, you are assured that your kids get all the right nutrients needed to grow smart”
For taking up the fight against malnutrition and stunted growth in children, Nutricima with Nunu as an enabler deserves stakeholders’ commendation. But achieving high level of success in the fight, the war must go beyond product consumption to education and enlightening Nigerians especially mothers on foods that contain healthy nutrients for the family.

Daniel Obi