Chronic food insecurity and the growing demand to provide for the increasing low-income population in South Africa has inspired another innovation to develop nutritious products at the University of the Free State (UFS) in Bloemfontein.
This is a collaborative effort by intellectuals of the UFS and Texas State University in America.
Dr Brandon van Rooyen of the Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development and Manager of the Food Innovation Laboratory at the UFS and Prof. Wilna Oldewage-Theron, professor of Nutrition of the Texas State University, teamed up with Research Fellow in the UFS Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development.
Van Rooyen is a specialist in food product development and Oldewage-Theron’s research experience is in community nutrition and to educate lower-income communities about healthy diets.
Van Rooyen’s ambition is to see children from the low-income bracket in schools not only having access to food, but also having access to healthy alternatives.
The team has developed Food Innovation Lab soya products.
This adds to a range of plant-based products resembling meat, including soya sausages and mince, developed since the laboratory opened its doors earlier this year.
“Should the soya sausages, for instance, be made available in schools and served as hotdogs, the bread bun will cost more than the sausage,” said Van Rooyen.
They have also developed healthy snack options, such as soya nuts available in original, barbeque, fruit chutney, and hot and spicy flavours.
Van Rooyen strongly maintains their products tick all the boxes of affordability, nutrition and being attractive to the consumer.
The laboratory is currently distributing these products to schools and conducting surveys to gather feedback from students. This feedback will be valuable in assessing how the products are being received and in determining if any adjustments are necessary.
Another important aspect of their work is to strengthen ties with organisations such as the South African Association for Food Science and Technology (SAAFoST).
Recently the Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development hosted Ingrid Woodrow, chief executive officer (CEO) of SAAFoST.
“In the Food Innovation Laboratory we are focusing on action research; research with a focus on ground level with value for communities,” explainded Prof. Jan Swanepoel, associate professor in the Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development.
“It is important to be associated with the industry. They act as patrons of certain commodity groups and have direct contact with producers and retailers, and are thus connected to the entire value chain.”.
