Assessment of Complementary Food Situation in Sierra Leone: Nutritional Problems and Possible Strategies

The objective of this review was to discuss the complementary food situation and its Nutritional problems and possible strategies in Sierra Leone. Premature weaning, early solid food introduction, low nutrient density and bulkiness of supplemental meals, and unsanitary weaning techniques expose infants to increased mortality, illness, and malnutrition. In most West African countries, especially in Sierra Leone, the use of a variety of home-made complementary foods prepared from locally grown foodstuffs during the weaning process is popular, with products traditionally known as pap (mesh rice water) fofo from cassava that is soaked for several days in water to ferment and remove the cassava and pound it, ogi or akamu (is a fermented cereal pudding made from maize (Zea mays), Sorghum (Sorghum bocolor ) or millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) gari (this is from cassava (Manihot esculenta) but that is crater into flaks and scotch on fire), and couscous (Triticum durum).

Sierra Leone is one of the countries in West Africa that has been reported to have a challenging situation with regard to complementary foods, little effort has so far been made to improve the situation. Despite these challenges, very little work has been directed towards the development of complementary foods using local foodstuffs as practiced in some other African countries. This situation has a serious impact on the lives of infants in Sierra Leone, thus increasing the rate of mortality in the country. The complementary food situation in Sierra Leone was reviewed in terms of the past and present practices as well as the types of complementary foods used in Sierra Leone. Formulation of a highly nutritious formula and traditional food processing processes like fermentation and germination were suggested as a means of producing homemade supplementary foods throughout the nation. These methods are straightforward and may be easily implemented at the household and community levels without requiring complex technology. Commercially fortified foods for infants and young children (e.g., vitamin or mineral-enriched cereals) can also be an important source of micronutrients in some contexts. However, the promotion of affordable fortified complementary foods should always be undertaken in line with national and global standards (i.e., the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes. Nonetheless, it was recently reported that a product from the orange-flesh sweet potato could address the issue of complementary food in the country as it is easy to prepare, and the products are easily available in rural areas and even urban settings. Other recommendations made include community nutrition education, the development of a weaning recipe book, reduction in the workload of the suckling mother, promotion of breastfeeding, and increased maternity leave period, which were suggested to be the most immediate possible strategies for the problems highlighted.