After six months of exclusive breastfeeding, most parents are in a quandary on how to maintain nutritionally adequate and safe complementary solid foods regimes for their babies with their shoestring budgets. As the high cost of living bites harder, making the affordability of foreign-made baby formulas a luxury, the proliferation of substandard products in the Nigerian market is fuelling dire mistrust for local brands built on maize, millets, egusi, sorghum, and yam, even as hesitation over safety and nutrition sufficiency looms larger by the day. IJEOMA NWANOSIKE reports that balancing a healthy start to life for newborns with financial implications is unsettling many families.
Agnes Okuwa, a mother of three, feels financially emasculated having to cough out N5,200 for a 320g tin of “My Boy Infant Formula” every couple of days.
She recently expressed her frustration thus: “I spend too much money to feed my baby every two to three days, with N5,000 being almost the baseline for most baby foods sold in the markets. I can’t cope with this anymore as it runs out easily. But the good news is that with N6,500, I can make pap from millet, soya beans, or soy milk, and it will last for a few weeks.”
Breaking ranks with Okuwa on local alternatives for her baby is Mrs Bola Akande, an accountant and mother of five, who strangely believes that only imported, fortified baby foods are the best form of infant nutrition.
That perhaps explains why she attributes her children’s intelligence and academic success to their early diets, mainly imported baby formulas.
“Those baby foods at the supermarkets are already fortified with necessary minerals, vitamins, and nutrients that babies need. That is why when you look at Gen Z kids who consumed these packaged baby foods, they are smarter, more technologically inclined, mentally stronger than the old ones who find it hard to adapt to a modern technologically-exhaustive society,” Akande alleged.
While Akande’s belief highlights a common position among some Nigerian parents, who perceive imported baby foods as superior to local alternatives, this viewpoint often overlooks the nutritional adequacy of locally made options, which, when combined according to the recommendation, can provide a balanced diet for infants.
However, despite a growing body of evidence that well-prepared local alternatives can effectively meet infants’ dietary needs, Akande remains one of the many Nigerian parents who are hesitant to switch, sometimes due to misconceptions about the quality of local foods.
Her fears appear to be expressed in what Cynthia Opeke recently experienced while feeding her now 11-month-old locally produced baby food.
“I nearly lost my baby when he was barely seven months old after feeding him with pap and Tom Brown that I bought from a nearby street market,” the civil servant recalled.
Tom Brown is a supplementary food powder made from a blend of locally available roasted soya beans, groundnut, guinea corn, maize, millet, fish powder, and local spices. The ingredients are mixed and typically prepared as a porridge for weaning babies.
That scary incident not only left a lasting impression on Opeke, especially after weevils were discovered in the Tom Brown mixture during scrutiny a few days after, but she is now wary of locally made baby foods and almost convinced that they are often prepared under unhygienic conditions, and may lack essential nutrients.
“Those locally sourced foods aren’t safe; they may be prepared in environments where the hygiene conditions are suspect and could be too harsh for a baby’s mild system. In addition, no one is convinced that the ground corn or millet used is not adulterated. Still, with packaged foods certified by the appropriate authorities, the conditions under which they are produced are, I dare say, a lot better,” she concluded.
While mothers like Okuwa are in search of local baby foods that would fit their budget size and not pose any form of danger to their children, her contemporaries who rely on certified, pre-packaged alternatives insist that peace of mind and the good health of their babies remain uppermost on their minds when they go shopping.
As survival battles in the country intensify daily, parents of newborns are increasingly in a cul-de-sac with the prices of baby formulas piercing through rooftops. Matters are not helped with local alternatives being held suspect by some over poor handling and unhygienic preparation processes, which could predispose the minors to dire health concerns or even death after six months of exclusive breastfeeding.
With disposable income thinning out in many homes at lightning speed, the average Nigerian family income is burdened by the fact that these new additions to the household require special milk and meals to develop as they should.
As many Nigerian women navigate a complex web searching for safe meals for their offspring, the fluctuating prices of even local ingredients are driving up the cost of healthy local alternatives across the board despite their being more affordable options than imported ones.
Formula milk or baby formula is believed to provide babies with the right nutrients that they need to grow and develop. Still, their soaring costs are gradually taking them away from the average family’s reach.
For instance, in the open market, a 400g tin of SMA Gold Toddler Milk for 1–3 years costs N10,760; SMA First Infant Milk – (from birth) 900g costs N28,405; SMA Gold Follow On Tin (after 6 months) 400g costs N14,518; Eldorin My Boy Infant Formula (0–12 months) 400g costs N7,575.00; Aptamil milk (after 6 months) 800g costs N17, 600; Nestle Lactogen (400g) goes for N6,600 and above depending on the location and other factors.
As these prices get prohibitive, findings also show that many parents are increasingly reluctant to patronise local manufacturers for fear of exposing their fragile babies to adulterated baby foods.
They mistrust and question the hygienic condition while processing these local alternatives.
Even though experts encourage the gradual introduction of indigenous foods and vegetables alongside breastfeeding when weaning babies to maintain a nutritionally adequate diet, targeted advertising strategies by baby food manufacturers, ignorance, and poor complementary feeding practices have left many mothers questioning the gains of local baby foods.
Despite the existence of regulatory bodies such as the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), whose main responsibilities include guaranteeing that products manufactured, imported, distributed, and sold in the country are safe, original, and of good quality, unscrupulous businessmen fake and dilute these products for pecuniary reasons leaving then void of minerals and nutrients, which are very necessary for the growth of these delicate toddlers.
Mrs Izee Johnson, a public servant and mother of two who recently returned to work after months of maternity leave, said she spent precious time preparing her baby’s food from locally sourced ingredients.
“But balancing work and childcare has made this process feel more like a chore; it’s just too time-consuming for me now. I can’t spend hours soaking corn, grinding it, and preparing pap when I have to get to work. It’s just too much for one person,” she complained.
Consequently, Johnson has turned to imported baby food for convenience. However, she admits that while she used to prefer homemade options, her mistrust of the composition and quality of local alternatives led her to rely on foreign products.
“I don’t know what’s in some of these local mixtures, but with imported baby food, I know it’s been safely prepared, and I don’t have to worry about the ingredients or how hygienic the process went.”
Johnson’s decision to buy imported baby food isn’t just about convenience; it’s also about peace of mind, and while she acknowledges that local options are often more affordable, the time required in preparing them and safety concerns are forcing her to rely on the more expensive, but trustworthy, imported alternatives.
Meanwhile, a recent post on X (formerly Twitter) sparked significant concern among Nigerians about the contents of a locally packaged baby pap sold by an online vendor. According to the vendor, the pap promotes rapid weight gain in babies, making them appear obese.
This claim led many to question the safety and composition of the product, even as many expressed deep concerns about parents who would deliberately feed their babies with such a questionable product.
As concerned Nigerians called on NAFDAC to investigate the product to ascertain its safety for infants’ consumption, medical doctor and content creator, Chinonso Egemba, popularly known as @aproko_doctor on X, also weighed in on the issue, emphasising the potential harm and irreversible damage such products could cause children.
He, therefore, appealed to NAFDAC in a tweet thus: “Dear @NafdacAgency, I’m guessing this is within your purview. No one knows what is inside that pap. Also, this is setting these babies up for damage.”
This incident underscores the importance of strict regulatory oversight over baby food production to protect children’s health and ensure parents make informed decisions.
Long years of usage, marketing gimmicks fuelling distrust
According to the Co-founder of Nutrition4kidsng, Omolabake Matthew, many Nigerian mothers are accustomed to branded, imported baby foods, and convincing them to consider local alternatives requires a lot of trust-building and education.
Matthew explained that combating the notion that only imported baby foods can provide the necessary nutrients has remained a significant challenge, stressing that the wrong perceptions stem from years of marketing and misconceptions.
Although the fluctuating prices of even local ingredients due to inflation pose another challenge, according to Matthew, many mothers worry about quality control and safety in local brands, as Nigeria has historically lacked stringent regulations for baby food production.
As a way forward, she urged more government oversight and certification processes to reassure mothers of the safety and quality of Nigerian brands. “Education campaigns like what we do at Nutrition4kidsng that highlight the nutritional value of local foods are crucial, as well as community-based initiatives where mothers can learn firsthand from dietitians and pediatric nutrition experts,” she said.
She added that building partnerships with local food brands can also help standardise quality and, to some extent, stabilise prices to make the options more viable for more families.
Matthew explained that locally sourced ingredients, like millet, egusi, Bambara, sorghum, and yam, provide essential nutrients that support babies’ growth and development.
She added that alongside boot camp, nutrition4kidsng is changing the narrative, dedicating time to research, and collaborating with local nutrition experts and baby food companies to identify safe and affordable options.
“Working closely with mothers in our community, I’ve seen the beautiful shift towards a more sustainable, local option, especially as they begin to realise these foods not only match, but most times even surpass imported options nutritionally,” she said.
She stressed the need for the government to take steps to address child malnutrition and promote locally made baby foods through the creation and enforcement of standards for local baby food production to ensure safety and build trust, in addition to mounting campaigns to reshape perceptions and encourage mothers to explore local, and affordable options.
Additionally, Mathew said by investing in sustainable agriculture and supporting small-scale farmers, the government can reduce import dependency, make healthy foods more available, and support local economic growth.
A registered dietician at the Dietetic Department, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Iyanoluwa Akinyemi, noted the importance of mothers understanding the diet most suitable for their babies after six months of exclusive breastfeeding.
While pointing out the importance of using complementary food staples such as potatoes, rice, mashed or blended to smooth texture alongside baby milk to reduce cost, Akinyemi advised mothers to augment infant milk with other proteins like fish alongside breastfeeding, adding, however, that the use of Tom Brown weaning diet for babies whose parents cannot afford baby milk for adequate nutrition and development of the baby is recommended.
On her part, the President of the Paediatric Association of Nigeria (PAN), Professor Mrs Ekanem Ekure, told The Guardian that given the inflation rate in the country, babies on breast milk substitute risk malnutrition, adding that baby formulas are not for every child except for those with specific recommendations.
The paediatrician, who pointed out that the economic crisis is a significant contributor to the rising malnutrition rate in the country, lamented that waning purchasing power has grossly eroded food affordability, making it a luxury for many to afford even two meals a day.
“Food insecurity is directly linked to economic instability, and malnutrition tends to rise during such times. That said, introducing nutritionally adequate complementary foods with continued breastfeeding is achievable. It is often limited by ignorance and poverty,” she said, adding that within each region of the country, there are food groups that can be made to be nutritionally adequate for babies.
The dietitian also listed some factors affecting the availability of local alternatives, including insufficient investment in agriculture and nutrition programmes alongside the unending banditry and herder-farmer clashes.
On how to tackle the issues, the professor said that education on breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices through interventions like public health campaigns, education, and support for mothers remains key.
The president encouraged the government to ensure that primary healthcare facilities are adequately equipped to treat malnutrition and provide nutrition education, as well as leverage partnerships with organisations like UNICEF and WHO to increase funding and technical support for nutrition programmes.
Local manufacturers wave off safety concerns
A food technologist and the Chief Executive Officer CEO Spectra Foods, Duro Kuteyi, in addressing safety issues swirling around locally produced baby foods, emphasised that local products are safe for infants as they meet NAFDAC standards.
He further explained that baby food production goes through rigorous processes to ensure total elimination of impurities during mass production, such as using boiled water to eliminate any potential contaminants and ensure further safety.
Regarding affordability, he noted that locally made products are significantly more economical and much cheaper than imported options, costing around five times less. “They are very affordable when you compare them with the imported ones. It’s more than five times the price we are selling our agricultural products,” he said.
However, Kuteyi said a significant challenge is the lack of awareness among Nigerian mothers, who often see imported baby foods as superior. Despite support from partners like Lagos State and UNICEF, the CEO acknowledged that the market still faces hurdles due to the prevalence of imported products and occasional stock shortages of locally made ready-to-use foods for malnourished infants.
When asked about the path forward, he suggested that increasing awareness and promoting the benefits of locally made baby foods could help Nigerian families see them as viable, nutritious, and affordable alternatives to imported brands.
‘Some locally produced baby food safe for consumption’
WHILE the safety of locally manufactured baby foods remains suspect, the NAFDAC Director General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, insists that some of them have been approved and registered under the agency as safe complementary foods after thorough evaluation through laboratory analysis and found to have met the expected nutrient composition and quality requirements in line with the applicable Nigerian Industrial Standards (NIS) and the agency’s regulations.
According to Adeyeye, while the Agency acknowledges that the decision to use commercial complementary foods lies with the individual, who should be equipped with sufficient information to make an informed choice when affordable, she, however, added that locally available family foods could be used too in line with the World Health Assembly (WHA) recommendation in 2016, which emphasises the use of suitable, nutrient-rich, home prepared, and locally available complementary foods to feed children safely.
She explained that lack of knowledge about proper nutrition and feeding practices often plays a more significant role in causing malnutrition than the unavailability of food, highlighting the importance of awareness campaigns to educate mothers on adequate and appropriate nutrition for infants.
Last October, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned of severe acute malnutrition and deaths amongst under-five Nigerian Children due to a shortage in the supply of life-saving Ready-to-use-Therapeutic-Food (RUTF) fueled by economic shocks.
With nearly two million children already suffering from severe acute malnutrition and facing the risk of death due to funding shortages of RUFF, UNICEF reported that Nigeria, Mali, Niger and Chad were already experiencing stock-out or at the brink of doing so. At the same time, eight other countries could run out by mid-2025.
Severe acute malnutrition, also known as severe wasting, is caused by a lack of nutritious and safe foods and repeated bouts of disease. Children suffering from it are dangerously thin with weak immune systems, leaving them vulnerable to growth failure, poor development, and death.
The UNICEF Director of Child Nutrition and Development, Victor Aguayo, explained that unprecedented global response in the last two years has allowed the scale-up of nutrition programmes to contain child wasting and mortality associated with it, especially in countries severely affected by conflict, climate and economic shocks. “But urgent action is needed now to save the lives of nearly two million children who are fighting this silent killer,” he explained.
Aguayo noted that UNICEF had repeatedly warned that without sustainable prevention strategies and sustained financing, there would be RUTF stock-outs in several countries, with the Sahel hardest hit by funding shortages.
In a renewed “No Time to Waste 2024 Update and Call to Urgent Action,” UNICEF is calling for $165 million to fund therapeutic feeding, treatment and care for the two million children at risk of death due to critical shortages of RUTF.
