CSIR tackles poor nutrition by supporting small businesses with producing innovative products

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Hunger continues to be the main cause of poor nutrition in the country with the aspect of safety still being overlooked. This emerged during a media briefing in Pretoria themed, “Women in Science”, aimed at commending the role of female scientists in using research innovations to improve the lives of ordinary people.

Researchers say the effects of malnutrition and other diseases are mostly affecting people in rural areas, where access to affordable healthcare services, therapeutics and nutritious food is severely limited.

Isabella Twala, a multi-skilled entrepreneur, left the corporate world and pursued her passion for farming in 2015. Now she is a specialist in the Agro-food processing sector producing Okra juice with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) help.

Twala says enough precaution should be taken on how the products are processed and researchers agree.

They say food security and transportation are important.

Dr Nomusa Dlamini in the food and security program adds that security is key and that there is no nutrition if the food is not safe.

However Twala isn’t the only one, the Research Institution has also assisted other small businesses with product development.

Bio-manufacturing Industry Development Centre (BIDC) Progamme Manager, Lara Kotze-Jacobs, “A lot of work has been done through Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises around the country following the right tests and some products are available on the market.”

Female scientists using research innovations to improve lives