What makes CATO Foods unique!
Over the past few years, there has been a noticeable, gradual shift by enlightened Nigerians to look out not just for food items that fill the stomach but those types that are nutritionally beneficial to them. Emphasis is therefore, swinging in the direction of Nutrition Security. This is auspicious considering the fact that Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) alone has become one of the most pernicious forms of undernourishment in the developing world, Nigeria inclusive. In fact, micronutrient malnutrition affects 33percent of children and 25percent of pregnant women in Nigeria. Vitamin A deficiency alone limits growth, weakens immunity, affects sight and increases mortality.
And according to Cadre Harmonise, CH Report for March 2018, conducted in 16 States of the federation and Federal Capital Territory, FCT over 3.7 million Nigerians are currently faced with food insecurity. This was made known by the food and nutrition insecurity situation analysis conducted by the World Food Programme, WFP, Food and Agricultural Organisation, FAO, United States Aid for International Development, USAID, Mercy Corps, Famine Early Warning System Network, Save the Children and Oxfam Care . The agenda was ‘Stakeholders’ Meeting for Presentation of the Results of the Cadre Harmonise Analysis of Food and Nutrition Insecurity in Nigeria’. It also projected that the number of people caught in the food crisis could increase to 5.2 million people in the following months. It has been over eight months since.
One gratifying aspect of the unfolding food security scenario is the determined efforts of some concerned Nigerian nutritionists and agro-preneurs to bring in some intervention mechanisms through food items fortified with vital vitamins and health-giving minerals to the consumer’s table. That is where CATO Foods and Agro Allied Global Concepts come in. It came into being to address food insecurity and malnutrition via agriculture value chain and postharvest waste management. The noteworthy aim is to ensure sustainable development job creation as well as poverty eradication. And the brains behind the project are Atinuke Oon, a value chain development expert and agropreneur and Pelumi Aribisala with similar professional pedigrees.
Their matching mandate is to use staple foods to address hunger and malnutrition in Nigeria for sustainable nutrition security and economic development. Precisely, CATO Foods is into innovative products development, adding value to 15 food items by processing bio-fortified cassava, maize and sweet potato into value added products. There are also Vitamin A fortified custard, snacks, cassava fufu and orange flesh sweet potato. Seven of these products have been commercialised. It has venture collaboration with research institutions such as Harvestplus to develop innovative food products aimed at addressing micro-nutrient deficiencies such as Vitamin A, Iron and Zinc. Its approach is to move against both hunger and hidden hunger at the same time. By so doing it simultaneously improves the livelihood and economic power of people especially the rural poor through job creation.
In specific terms, it has vitamin A cassava bits specially produced from vitamin A cassava tuber. A pack contains 24 sachets and they are available to whole sellers and supermarkets. So is Cato Foods vitamin A cassava strips which contains similar nutritional value as the bits but has a different shape.
There is also the CATO Foods Vitamin A garri plus, produced from yellow cassava which is the latest variety of cassava. It is bio-fortified with vitamin A. This means that gone are the days of poor eye sight due to garri consumption. This product comes in 1 kg, 2 kg, 5 kg, 10 kg, 50 kg varieties but the yellow colour is not due to addition of red palm oil.
Another of their prime products is the pineapple chips specially produced from ripe pineapples. It is simply dehydrated. The sugar content and nutritional content are maintained. The aim is for the consumers to have unlimited access to fruits on the go. Parents are advised to give this to their children to improve their nutritional status. A pack contains 10 sachets.
Essentially, Cato foods have been structured to meet the consumers’ breakfast, lunch and dinner needs. Researches from across Europe and the United States attest to the importance of taking breakfast. It is important, as it helps the body to replenish the energy lost over the night. It helps you kick-start your body metabolism, helping you burn calories throughout the day. It also gives you the energy you need to get things done and helps you focus at work or at school. In fact, the absence of breakfast affects the mental acuity of children especially when and if they get to school on empty stomach.
Cato Food’s custard provides you energy for your day. It is filling and rich in Vitamin A. It supports healthy eyesight and boosts your immune system preventing the risk of chronic diseases. Cato Custard is available in economy pack in different flavors of Vanilla, Banana and Strawberry.
For lunch Cato Vitamin A fufu comes in handy as odourless food item, high in fibre, rich in Vitamin A , easy to prepare and available in both wet and powder forms. It is easy to prepare as once can mix a desirable quantity with little quantity of water to form a slightly thick paste. A consumer can make this paste into a pot on the fire and continue to turn until it is getting hard. Add little water and steam to cook for a few minutes. Bring it down and turn like amala to smoothen out. With this the yellow fufu is ready to be enjoyed with any delicious soup of one’s choice.
In addition to their health giving products, CATO foods in Iwo, Osun state has modern agric methods in place to reduce postharvest losses and develop value added products along the agriculture value chain towards improving lives and livelihood.
Even with these praise worthy efforts there is still the needed intervention by the federal and state ministries of agriculture and rural development. This is significant for assistance especially in the areas of access to fertile land, modern technologically driven agricultural practices, microcredit schemes, access to high-yielding, early maturing, disease-resistant seedlings, forming farmers cooperatives and getting the youth actively involved.