Maggi Mammies schooled on nutrition,entrepreneurship

Two thousand nine hundred Maggi Mammies across Ghana have received training on nutrition and entrepreneurship.

The Mammies who are retailers in the open markets selling bouillons and other spices, mostly on table tops were educated on the proper use of Maggi products to enable them to pass on the information to consumers.

The Mammies were also introduced to entrepreneurial skills to help increase the livelihood and support for their families.

The training workshops were organized as part of the brand’s annual engagement programme with its traders.

A statement from Nestle and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra said about 15,000 of mammies are part of the success of the brand in Ghana.

“They earn an income by selling Maggi products in over 200 markets across the country.

“Maggi has been a popular bouillon and seasonings brand in Ghana for more than fifty years.

“It owes its success to the fact that it builds on existing local culinary tastes and contributes to good nutrition among the Ghanaian population,” the statement said.

Maggi, with its flavours of shrimp, chicken and onion already contain iodised salt.

Maggi shrimp is also fortified with iron in order to address micronutrient deficiencies.

Iron deficiency, which causes anaemia, is very common in Ghana, in particular among children and women of child-bearing age, it said.

The Mammies were schooled on the importance of good nutrition, balanced diets and culinary hygiene, by nutritionists from regional hospitals, who highlighted the importance of iron, iodine, and other key micro-nutrients in one’s diet to eliminate the risk of micro-nutrient deficiencies.

The statement said “Maggi bouillons enhance taste with a precise and limited amount of salt – and there is no need to add anymore salt during or after cooking.”

It said the use of two tablets or five cubes in a dish for six people is recommended, adding, “This is the equivalent to 1.8g of salt per person, or 30 per cent of the recommended daily intake.”

The fortification of affordable, nutritious foods and beverages is part of Nestlé’s commitment to helping address micro-nutrient deficiencies.

“More than 52 billion individual servings of iodine or iron fortified Maggi bouillons were consumed in 2014,” the statement added.