Contestants from one of the teams wrap their brown parboiled jollof rice garnished with red and green peppers for presentation to a panel of judges. Photo credit: WFP/Bright Yeboah
By Bright Yeboah in Ghana
The Government of Ghana recently hosted a contest to promote innovation in school meal recipes and foster better cooking methods to enhance the taste and preserve the nutrition of meals. This initiative follows the Africa Regional Consultation on School Nutrition conference in Cape Coast last year. Ghana is now intensifying efforts to diversify school meal diets, to include overlooked local foods such as traditional vegetables and fortified parboiled unpolished rice. Additionally, schools are being encouraged to pay closer attention to meal preparation to ensure the highest quality and nutritional value.
During the recent ‘Back-to-school’ Nutrition Campaign, six teams of Home Economics students at Ejisu Senior Technical School showcased their innovative culinary skills in an experimental school meal cooking contest. The event was organized under the School Health Education Programme (SHEP), a unit of the Ghana Education Service, with the support of the World Food Programme. In preparation for the contest, the students conducted thorough research and developed new recipes featuring nutrient-rich fortified local rice – parboiled unpolished rice as the main staple. They also incorporated various local foods for the side dishes, highlighting the country's rich culinary heritage.
The contest promoted cooking methods that preserved nutrients such as steaming, while assessing the nutritive value, taste, cooking time and innovation of meals. This campaign built on the momentum from last year’s Africa Regional Consultation on School Nutrition conference, which called on policy makers to promote local foods, innovation and creativity in school meal programmes. Fortifying local foods, such as parboiled unpolished rice and beans, was encouraged as a cost-efficient pathway to address the nutritional needs of school children. This approach enhances the health benefits of school meals and supports local agriculture and culinary traditions. While the issue of taste in school meals may not be a priority in some schools, studies reveal that taste and enjoyment of school food significantly influence students’ food choices and overall eating experience. Ghana is making concerted efforts to ensure that as they scale up school meals and improve diets, while focusing on the nutrition and enjoyment of food served.
When the passion to cook creates delicious school meals, more children enjoy their food. At Ejisu Senior Technical School, Home Economics students are leading a culinary revolution that is set to transform the quality and taste of school meals to bring a fresh, delicious change to school meal tables. Photo credit: WFP/Bright Yeboah
Students presented a delightful array of dishes at the school meal cooking contest, demonstrating how school cooks can use simple, locally available ingredients to creatively prepare the local rice, traditional vegetables, and accompanying dishes. The staple rice was served with kale, mustard greens, pulses, fish, chicken, and soups. From the brown parboiled jollof rice with vegetable soya sauce, to parboiled rice banku with peanut butter and vegetable soup, the six teams, each comprising five students, showcased their culinary prowess. They walked away with prizes recognizing their innovative efforts to blend indigenous foods with some foods that originated from other countries. Using a mix of cooking methods, they created tasty and nutritious school meals that pushed the boundaries of conventional school cooking. Participants at the event were impressed by the teams’ innovation, emphasizing how the high acceptance of local foods, such as the fortified rice, in the national school meals programme can significantly impact efforts to combat malnutrition among children and support local farmers in Ghana.
A recent World Food Programme assessment revealed that about 70 percent of the rice consumed in Ghana is imported. Speaking at the event, Mr. Kwabena Owusu, the Ejiusu Municipal Director in the Ashanti region, highlighted that continual improvements in school meal menus and cooking methods while preserving authentic nutritional properties can make meals more appealing to students. He welcomed similar school meal and nutrition campaigns: “Initiatives like this contribute significantly to the efforts by government and development partners to enhance the market competitiveness and consumption of local foods. There are already various interventions aimed at improving the production of quality local food including advancements in seed varieties, processing with a focus on food fortification, and better labelling and packaging of local foods such as parboiled unpolished rice.” Mr. Owusu encouraged institutions involved in school meals to invest in similar initiatives that promote better meal preparation. This approach, he said, not only prevents food waste and loss of nutrients due to poor cooking methods but also ensures students receive appealing and tasty nutritious meals.