Stakeholder insights and policy recommendations from the InnoFoodAfrica Project on traditional African foods

Supporting systems that provide healthy and safe food ingredients and products and environmentally sustainable nutrition and food security solutions are key local priorities.To achieve these priorities in South Africa, multilevel and multiagency support is needed by smallholder farmers to expand the cultivation, growing, distribution, marketing, and production of indigenous and traditional African food crops (ITFC) and ingredients, as well as the sale, acceptance, and consumption of ITFCs.Public education is required to transform local perspectives on protein intake and the benefits of ITFCs.The government must exempt ITFCs from VAT to promote their mainstream commercial viability.Malnutrition is considered Africa's most pressing health and social challenge. 1A triple burden of malnutrition, including undernutrition; overnutrition leading to obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases; and micronutrient deficiency (or hidden nutrition), is emerging in South Africa. 2 Just under half of children under the age of five in South Africa (43%) present with some form of malnutrition. 3The prevalence of stunting in South African children is high at about 27%. 3 Stunting and undernutrition increase a child's vulnerability to poor health, poor developmental outcomes, and mortality.Simultaneously, an estimated 68% of women and 31% of men over the age of 15 years in South Africa are overweight or obese. 4The high prevalence of micronutrient deficiency and overweight malnutrition that occurs alongside stunting is "an emerging feature of food insecurity in South Africa" 5(p.20) .The sub-Saharan African diet commonly includes an inadequate intake of animal products and vegetables. 6Three main staples -wheat, maize and rice -provide most of the world's daily calorie requirements and protein intake.In sub-Saharan Africa, maize is the prevalent staple.Although this affordable and accessible staple crop has a high energy density, refined maize meal commonly lacks macronutrients, for example protein, and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals).Dietary dependency on maize for the provision of daily calorie intake could cause protein-energy malnutrition.