Plant-Leaf-Based Food Packaging Practices in Greater Lomé (Togo): Stakeholders’ Knowledge and Processing Techniques

Plastic based food packaging has become increasingly problematic due to its adverse impacts on public health, ecosystem integrity, and climate stability in Togo, particularly in Greater Lomé. To promote a return to plant leaf–based food packaging in food production systems in Lomé and, more broadly, throughout the country, this research aims to map endogenous food production systems by documenting stakeholders’ knowledge and their diverse technological uses of Marantochloa mannii, Sarcophrynium prionogonium, Marantochloa purpurea, Marantochloa cuspidata, Malacantha alnifolia, and Marantochloa leucantha, based on scientific data. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining questionnaire surveys with direct participant observation. Purposive sampling and the snowball technique were used to survey 30 paste producers and 20 sellers of the targeted plant species. The analytical indicators were inspired by the ISO 22000:2018 standard. The results showed that Marantochloa cuspidata is the best known, most widely used, and most frequently sold plant species in Greater Lomé, followed by Marantochloa purpurea and Marantochloa mannii. However, 56% of respondents reported that these plants are not widely available. Therefore, it appears relevant to develop a project aimed at domesticating these plant species for food packaging and to establish educational initiatives on their sustainable and innovative use from food, nutritional, health, economic, and ecological perspectives. However, a separate article will be necessary to conduct the bioscientific characterization of these plants in order to better guide producers regarding their storage and conservation.