FoodPLUS Traceability of nutrients from soil to the end users FoodPLUS examines the potential role of underutilised crop products to diversify the food basket

beyond major species and improve community nutrition through enhancement to production, agro-

processing and marketing. It also traces the loss of micronutrients through the food supply chain from

production through to consumption of plant products.

Beneficiaries

The key beneficiaries of FoodPLUS include consumers, especially the rural poor; farmers, small-scale

producers in developing countries; multinational and small- and medium-sized food manufacturing

and processing companies; wholesalers and retail enterprises. The programme will complement work

conducted by researchers, agricultural cooperatives, donor organisations and NGOs.

Minimising micronutrient losses in the supply chain

A graphic representation of FoodPLUS.

Outline and Context

Hunger and all forms of malnutrition continue to inflict widespread suffering throughout the world.

Micronutrient deficiencies or 'hidden hunger’ affect approximately two billion people worldwide or

almost one third of the world’s population. Deficiencies in vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin A,

iron, iodine, and zinc, limit physical growth and development, inhibit mental capacities, reduce

productivity and impair the immune system. The deficiencies may also cause blindness and death.

Many of the consequences of the deficiencies are preventable.

Improving community nutrition through the R&D of novel, underutilised crop-based bioproducts that

increase micronutrient availability and uptake underpins FoodPLUS. This, coupled with the

strengthening of supply chains from farmer to consumer, represent the principal orientation of

FoodPLUS. Focussing on the distinctive relationship between production, agroprocessing and

marketing, FoodPLUS is working actively to protect, promote and improve the food chain by providing

options to diversify diets and ensure that food and nutrition security can complement dietary

diversification.

Programme Design

To structure its research programmes, CFFRC uses an analytical and project design process called the

Logical Framework Approach (LFA). The LFA provides a means to identify where a researchable

development gap exists and thereby devise a Problem Statement that encapsulates the challenge to

be addressed. The Problem Statement is converted to an Objective. This represents the future solution

on which the research programme is focussed and the basis to identify research and other programme

deliverables, together with the requisite inputs, that are necessary to attain the research programme’s

Outcome.

Problem Statement

The overdependence on a few major crop species as sources of food, lack of post-harvest

agroprocessing technologies, production of calorie-rich products and limitations on the bioavailability

of desired nutrients are inhibiting factors leading to poor community nutrition.

Outcome

The intended outcome of the FoodPLUS Research Programme is to contribute to the improvement of

community nutrition through the diversification of diets that include identifying the availability of

micronutrients obtainable from underutilised crops.

Research Clusters

To achieve its objectives, FoodPLUS is divided into an interlocking set of four clusters; namely,

production and breeding, post-harvest handling and supply chain, food processing and nutrition and

bioavailability. The projects contained within these clusters will lead to the identification of dietary

needs, the increased use of a diverse array of crops for the benefit of consumer health, more efficient

land use and the delivery of nutritionally superior products through sustainable and economically

efficient supply chains. The clusters and projects are described in the following table.

Research Clusters and Projects

Production and Breeding

Postharvest Handling and

Supply Chain Food Processing

Nutrition and Bioavailability

Cluster focus:

Develop production

and breeding

techniques to

improve

underutilised crops

which can retain

maximum desired

nutrients.

Cluster focus: Develop

proper postharvest

handling techniques to

minimise nutrient

losses along the chain.

Cluster focus: Develop novel

products to overcome the

issues of obesity, diabetes

type 2 and cardiovascular

diseases.

Cluster focus: Develop

better understanding

about the bioavailability of

desired nutrients in the

body to overcome the

issue of ‘hidden hunger’.

• Soil nutrients

status

• Relationship

between crop

growth conditions

and their

micronutrient

content

• Developing new

improved

varieties which

can retain desired

nutrients

• Biofortification

techniques

• Breeding

techniques or

biotechnological

tools to develop

new varieties

with desired traits

• Benchmarking of

existing supply

chains

• Identify

quantitative losses

in the supply chain

• Identify nutritional

losses in the supply

chain

• Quantify

postharvest losses

in the supply chain

• Quantify nutritional

losses in the supply

chain

• Identify

technologies to

repair losses in the

supply chain

• Development of

appropriate

postharvest

treatments to

retain maximum

availability of

nutrients along the

supply chain

• Develop novel food

products using

underutilised fruits and

vegetables

• Develop novel

processing, packaging

regimes to deliver the

best possible

• Develop processing

techniques to maximise

the bioavailability of

identified micronutrients

• Address any issues of

food safety or off-odour

• Understand barriers to

consumer’s acceptance

of novel products

• Develop educational

programmes in schools

and local communities to

illustrate the preparation

of novel products

• Develop techniques to

process the wastage

during supply chains into

alternative products

used for food and non-

food purposes

• Profiling of nutritional

value of selected crops

• Identification and

quantification of key

nutrients

• Analytical studies on

anti-nutritional factors

• Current nutritional

status of the

community (Literature

review)

• Collect local

information on the

nutritional value of

underutilised crops

(indigenous

knowledge)

• Identify socio-

economic drivers of

micronutrient

deficiency

• Studies on the

bioavailability of

micronutrients of

choice in the human

body

• Correlation between

micronutrient

deficiencies and non-

communicable diseases

Research clusters and cluster specific projects within the FoodPLUS programme

Research Outputs

Among the research outputs of the FoodPLUS Research Programme are:

A range of plant-based foods, especially from underutilised fruits and vegetables, is available for

the community to improve its nutritional status

Leakages of desired nutrients along the supply chain have been reduced with measureable impacts

on the community’s nutritional status

Novel techniques have been developed to minimise post-harvest quantitative and qualitative

losses of micronutrients

New methods have been devised to increase the bioavailability of desired nutrients extracted from

underutilised fruits and vegetables.

Research Partners

FoodPLUS has established research collaboration with a number of national and international

partners, including the University of Nottingham (Malaysia and UK campuses), the University of

Reading, UK and Southern Cross University, Australia. FoodPLUS is also involved with Farm Radio

International and Makerere University, Uganda and has jointly submitted applications for funding to

a number of international agencies. FoodPLUS is also working closely with national partners in

Malaysia, including Malaysian Agriculture Research and Development Institute (MARDI), University

Putra Malaysia (UPM), International Medical University (IMU) and University Malaysia Sabah (UMS)

to deliver some of the programme activities at local and national level.

Milestones

Past and future milestones in FoodPLUS projects