A+ A A-

S Food Supply

Food Supply

Chair: Parto Teherani-Krönner

Contributions: David Steinwender, Parto Teherani-Krönner
Noshoe: Dorothy Arukwe and Anthonia Obeta, Neda Nouri, Johnson Oluwaseyi and Giwa Tunrayo,

 

 

Food Supply - Presentation Session Part 1
 

Presentation by David Steinwender: "Alternative Food Supply System in deprived neighbourhoods - perspectives from theproject "CoopsForFood"
 

  "Good food for all" is one of the main claims of actors of food sovereignty and food justice. This claims adresses food producers, processors, allocators/traders (including their supporting staff) and consumers as well. In the last two decades so called alternative food networks have found their niches (re-etasblishment of farmers markets, "new" schemes such as food-coops, community supported agriculture, box schemes, vending machines). They aim at supporting the preservation of small-scale agriculture and food processing by enabling food producers/processors a better income compared to conventional food systems. However, this rather producers-centred approach of alternative food provision often lack of including specific consumer perspectives: in order to produce organically & at a fair price for producers consumers are needed who are willing or able to pay this price. This excludes most of (urban) populations, who mainly can't afford this food, although they might will to be part of such schemes. The project CoopsForFood looks exactly at this gap in Graz (Austria). It is a transdisciplinary/action research project to search for solutions to connect small scale producers with consumers with low income. Therefore, community development centres are involved to better understand and address the needs of this consumers. It explores the perspective of (multistakeholder) cooperatives under the title "Community Supported Agriculture 2.0" including additional questions beside social inclusions. The presentation will focus on Interim findings of the project mainly addressing the question of social inclusion in alternative food provision schemes.
 


Food Supply - Presentation Session Part 2
 

Presentation by Parto Teherani-Krönner: "Food Supply and Missing Dimensions of the Food Pyramid"
 

  Regarding the Food Pyramid following points are relevant from a human and cultural ecological perspective:

• A) The link between agricultural production and nutritional practices is not given; the need for an agricultural turnaround.
• B) In nutrition research like ecotrophology (with the. food pyramid) a qualitative reference to ecological consequences is missing.
• C) The dietary recommendations are made without the socio-cultural context in which we eat.
• D) Also missing is a reflection on the global food situation and food sovereignty as well as the conditions of agricultural production in ecological as well as social terms.
• The dilemma can be observed in abbreviated numbers of hungry people, in 2021 more 250.000 children died in East Africa.

  Food Supply - Presentation Session Part 3 - Discussion
 

  Food waste literacy and education for food waste reduction are necessary components of the sustainability transformation of food systems, which requires, furthermore, new forms of food production, processing, distribution and consumption. We review the recent research and activities of the European Union to reduce food waste, showing: food waste prevention is weakly integrated in the food supply chain, weakly integrated in sustainability governance, and insufficiently supported by activities of capacity building, agency and education. We focus on education and consumers, because private households generate the largest part of food waste, efficient interventions to reduce food waste are difficult, and the creation of food waste literacy and transformative capacity is urgent. Governance of food waste becomes a main issue at local and municipal level, with cities as key actors. At this geographical level the complexity is manageable and educational and other efforts to achieve solutions can be organised in cooperation of political and civil society actors. Successful food waste prevention depends on many activities that need to be integrated and carried out continuously, including education and capacity building of all actors in the food chain (formal and informal education). Higher Education Institutions are committed to the Sustainable Development Goals  and can contribute with education and capacity building for their students and the general public. 
 
Presentation by Dorothy Arukwe and Anthonia Obeta: "Quality Evaluation and Sensory Properties of Gari Enriched with Pigeon Pea Flour" (noshow)
 

 

The prevalence of protein malnutrition in Nigeria necessitated the desire to supplement the high carbohydrate traditional meal of the people, gari, with pigeon pea. Gari is a staple food in Nigeria, produced from fermentation and toasting of cassava mash. Pigeon pea has the potential of increasing the protein content of Gari, thereby improving the protein intake of the people. The study aimed at evaluating the proximate composition, antinutrients content and sensory properties of gari-pigeon pea flour blends.

Methods: Seven blends were produced from different proportions of Gari and pigeon pea flour in the ratios of 95:5, 90:10, 85:15, 80:20, 75:25, 70:30 and 100:0 (control) respectively. The proximate composition, antinutrients content and sensory properties were determined using standard methods. Results: The proximate composition indicated significant (p<0.05) increase in protein (1.87 - 3.66%), ash (1.01 - 1.66%), fat (0.72 - 1.30%), crude fibre (0.68 - 1.26%), and decrease in carbohydrate (88.51 - 84.96%) and energy value (368.0 - 366.18 kcal) as the inclusion of pigeon pea flour increased. The antinutrients content significantly (p<0.05) decreased with increase in the addition of pigeon pea flour. The sensory scores were significantly (p<0.05) affected with increase in pigeon pea flour inclusion. However, all the blends were acceptable.

Conclusion: This study has shown that enriched gari of acceptable qualities can be produced from gari-pigeon pea flour blends. These blends can be useful in ameliorating the protein malnutrition common in Nigeria.
 

Presentation by Johnson Oluwaseyi and Giwa Tunrayo: "Acceptability of cake made from blends of wheat and unripe plantain flour" (noshow)
 

This study examined the acceptability of cake made from wheat and unripe plantain flour as a viable alternative for cake making. Three research questions were raised and one hypothesis was tested. Proximate analysis was used to determine the nutrient content, also sensory attributes were evaluated where thirty panelists were presented with six coded samples produced from the formulations (WUP1-100:0, WUP2-70:30, WUP3-60:40, WUP4-50:50, WUP5-40:60, and WUP6-30:70). Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings from the proximate analysis showed that moisture content (16.20-16.87), Ash (0.78-1.70), Fat (9.43-11.65), crude protein (9.21-12.13), carbohydrate (57.65-58.94) and crude fiber (1.58-2.19). In addition, the sensory attributes revealed that WUP1 was the preferred sample with respect to color, aroma, texture, taste, and overall acceptability while WUP2 was the least preferred, meanwhile WUP4 had a high mean score for taste (7.23ab±1.36) and overall acceptability (7.07b± 1.47) which indicates that the sample to the level of 50:50 substitution was favorable and accepted. Furthermore, the null hypothesis was rejected which implies there is a difference in the products made from the blends. The study concluded that wheat and unripe plantain can be good alternatives in cake making due to their high nutritive potential. It was therefore recommended that products with alternate nutritive sources should be considered in the production of snacks.