Food & Nature
NutriLOC

Designing Sustainable, Locally Sourced Supplementary and Therapeutic Foods for Emergency Nutrition

Designing Sustainable, Locally Sourced Supplementary and Therapeutic Foods for Emergency Nutrition
At a Glance

At a Glance

  • Tackling child malnutrition
  • Developing locally sourced nutrition products
  • Working across three African countries: Sierra Leone, Ghana and Kenya
  • Strengthening local food systems
  • Creating pathways for long-term uptake through integrating locally produced nutrition solutions into national programmes

NutriLOC addresses child malnutrition in Africa by developing more sustainable, locally adapted approaches to prevention and treatment. The project focuses on improving therapeutic and supplementary foods using locally available ingredients such as fish, legumes and cereals, alongside emerging protein sources including spirulina and mycoprotein.

By prioritising nutritious, non-dairy, cost-effective products and local production, NutriLOC seeks to improve access to effective nutrition solutions while reducing dependence on imported products. Ultimately, it aims to strengthen local food systems and support more equitable, sustainable and self-reliant approaches to malnutrition management.

Innovative Local Solutions to Malnutrition

Innovative Local Solutions to Malnutrition

Malnutrition in children under five remains one of the world’s most urgent global health challenges and a direct violation of children’s rights. Despite decades of international efforts, treatment for severe acute malnutrition often reaches fewer than 20% of affected children. Moderate acute malnutrition affects even larger numbers and continues to receive insufficient attention. Closing this treatment gap requires nutrition solutions that are effective, affordable, accessible and adapted to local conditions. Yet dependence on imported ingredients, externally produced foods and vulnerable supply chains can increase costs, limit availability and hinder long-term scale-up. NutriLOC addresses these challenges by advancing locally adapted approaches that build on available resources and production capacity, helping create more sustainable, equitable and self-reliant nutrition systems.

Locally Driven, Sustainable and Self-Sufficient – The Future of Malnutrition Management

Locally Driven, Sustainable and Self-Sufficient – The Future of Malnutrition Management

NutriLOC is developing a new generation of ready-to-use therapeutic and supplementary foods and locally adapted fortified supplements to prevent and treat child malnutrition. Using locally sourced ingredients, the project will develop nutritionally adequate, non-dairy and cost-effective products based on conventional foods such as fish, legumes and cereals, as well as emerging protein sources including spirulina and mycoprotein. NutriLOC will also strengthen local production and supply chains and generate evidence to support the integration and scale-up of these solutions through national nutrition programmes. By connecting food innovation with local production, NutriLOC aims to make malnutrition management more accessible, sustainable and self-reliant.

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Your contact
Léna Prochnow
Senior Research & Impact Manager
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