Health
Fortified seasoning cubes will tackle pregnancy anaemia, birth defects — Experts
Medical and nutrition experts have said that fortifying bouillon (seasoning) cubes with iron, zinc, folic acid and vitamin B12 will significantly reduce anaemia among pregnant women in Nigeria as the cost of nutritious diets continues to soar.
The experts urged the Federal Government to make the fortification of bouillon cubes mandatory rather than voluntary, noting that seasoning cubes are consumed in virtually every Nigerian household.
In September 2024, the Federal Government strengthened its food fortification programme by introducing standards requiring voluntarily fortified bouillon cubes to contain minimum amounts of four essential micronutrients—iron, zinc, folic acid and vitamin B12.
The experts, however, said making the standards mandatory would substantially reduce the burden of preventable birth defects linked to micronutrient deficiencies during pregnancy.
According to them, fortified seasoning cubes, which are consumed in almost every Nigerian home, could become an effective vehicle for delivering essential vitamins and minerals to pregnant women across the country, helping to reduce the country’s high prevalence of anaemia among women of reproductive age and neural tube defects in newborns.
They noted that many of these birth defects could be prevented through mandatory fortification programmes that ensure women receive adequate folate before pregnancy, when the baby’s brain and spinal cord are developing.
A new report by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation estimates that fortified bouillon cubes could prevent up to 16.6 million cases of anaemia and 11,000 deaths from neural tube defects in Nigeria.
Experts say neural tube defects, including spina bifida, anencephaly and encephalocele, are among the most severe yet preventable consequences of folate deficiency.
According to them, these conditions develop during the first few weeks of pregnancy, often before a woman knows she is pregnant, making adequate folate intake before conception and in early pregnancy critical.
A Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Anambra State, Dr Stanley Egbogu, told PUNCH Healthwise that Nigeria could significantly reduce micronutrient deficiencies during pregnancy and prevent birth defects through the mandatory fortification of bouillon cubes.
Egbogu said, “Some pregnant women do not take the routine multivitamins prescribed during antenatal care. Since seasoning cubes are used in preparing virtually all meals, fortifying them with iron, zinc, folic acid and vitamin B12 is an effective way to tackle micronutrient deficiencies during pregnancy.
“Some women do not even attend antenatal clinics, where they would ordinarily be screened for anaemia and other micronutrient deficiencies. That is why this initiative to fortify seasoning cubes with these essential micronutrients should be embraced.”
He added, “Once women receive their daily micronutrient requirements through these cubes, it will significantly reduce the incidence of neural tube defects in Nigeria.”
The gynaecologist urged the Federal Government to compel bouillon cube manufacturers to adopt fortification standards without delay, citing proven benefits in improving pregnancy outcomes and reducing nutrition-related disorders in children.
Similarly, a leading registered dietitian-nutritionist, Olusola Malomo, pointed out that fortification of seasoning cubes with folic acid and vitamin B12 to prevent neural tube defects is a welcome intervention, stressing that women use bouillon cubes almost daily in their cooking.
Malomo, who is an Assistant Director of Dietetics at the Lagos State Health Service Commission, General Hospital, Badagry, however, stressed the need for strict monitoring and enforcement to ensure the fortified seasonings consistently meet quality standards.
The dietician urged the Federal Government to ensure that regulatory agencies such as the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, and other relevant professional bodies continuously monitor fortified bouillon cubes to ensure they are of high quality.
“It is a very good and timely intervention because the rate at which neural tube defects are increasing is worrisome. Again, most pregnant women are not aware that they are pregnant until after eight weeks, yet the critical period for preventing neural tube defects is within the first eight weeks of pregnancy.
“Now, when the fortification of bouillon cubes with folic acid and vitamin B12 is incorporated into their daily diet through meals prepared with these seasonings, even if a woman becomes pregnant unexpectedly, she would have already been receiving these essential micronutrients before conception.
“That is why this is a very good intervention. We should, however, ensure strict quality control,” Malomo said.
Population-wide food fortification has been shown to reduce the risk of neural tube defects by 70 per cent.
A single mother of a three-year-old boy living with spina bifida, Kehinde Folly, told PUNCH Healthwise that life has been extremely difficult since her son was diagnosed with the condition shortly after birth in 2023.
The caterer alleged that her husband abandoned the family because their son, Habeeb, was born with spina bifida, a congenital birth defect affecting the spinal cord.
“My husband returned to Owerri two weeks after I gave birth to our son in January 2023, and since then, he has never come back to see us because the child has spina bifida. Before I gave birth, he visited regularly; distance was never an issue for him.
“He knows our baby needs special care, but he chose to abandon us when we needed him most. I have been caring for Habeeb alone since he was born,” Kehinde recounted.
“Although it has not been easy caring for Habeeb, especially paying for his treatment, what pains me most is my husband’s attitude towards his own child,” she said, her voice trembling with emotion.
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