As the cost of living bites, making traditionally affordable nutritious meals in Kenyan households a luxury, companies are positioning themselves to provide cheaper but equally nutritious options.
The price of meat, milk and beans, ,which have always been primed as key sources of protein, have gone up by between double and triple over recent years locking out many households from the all-important arsenals against malnutrition.
One such cheaper alternative that majority of Kenyans are warming up to is soya, a super-food, well known for it’s numerous health benefits that include it’s ability to fight cancer, lower cholesterol and promote the growth of healthy bones and muscles.
Promasidor Kenya, the manufacturers of Sossi soya which was introduced in the country in 2012 have been on an aggressive door to door cooking campaign aimed at creating awareness on cheaper protein alternatives. According to Promasidor Kenya Marketing Director, Mark Williams increased uptake of soya can not only play a role in fighting hunger by providing protein for sustainable nutrition but also help reduce prevalent cases of malnutrition in the country.
“We are rolling out a door to door campaign to showcase to customers how to make their favourite local meal using Sossi. This will ensure protein, which is a vital nutrient for growth, is part of their meals on a daily basis,” said Williams.
Promasidor aims to spend over Kshs.50million in the door to door initiative that will be carried out throughout the year. Sossi, a popular brand of soya pieces available throughout Kenya has rapidly gained popularity in the country. However, a majority of the consumers are still not sure they can make a variety of local dishes from the Sossi tasty soya pieces and mince.
“Households, especially those in Nairobi’s informal settlements areas, are spending most of their incomes on staple foods. In most cases, these families lack a protein component in their meals as meat, eggs among other protein foods are considered a luxury,” said Williams.
Sossi which is made of soya with high protein content is widely affordable. A 90g packet of Sossi, which is enough to feed 3 adults, retails for just Kshs.40 and is ideal for both adults and growing children.
According to UNICEF severe malnutrition in Kenya is linked to rising food prices where families means of coping is only by reducing the size and frequency of their meals.
“Kenya’s food security and nutrition needs are further complicated by an unstable economic environment, a recent rise in food and fuel prices, adverse weather conditions, insufficient budgetary allocations and weak sector coordination,” said Robert Clarke, CEO of Promasidor Kenya.