The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, says it is developing a National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) recipe books for its cooks to ensure quality meals.
Mrs Aishatu Digil, Team Lead, NHGSFP, who made this known in Abuja on Tuesday, said the purpose of developing the recipe books was to guide cooks on the best way to have a balanced meals for school children.
Digil said that the participants were representatives of cooks in the six geopolitical zones, who were expected to extend the knowledge to other cooks in their various zones.
“We are here today as part of our process to develop a standardised recipe books for the use of cook on the school feeding programme.
“We believe by so doing, we will be able to transfer knowledge and build capacity of our cooks to provide nutritious meals every given time.
“We have here with us representatives of cooks across the six geopolitical zones, who will participate in the process.’’
She said that the recipe books would also serve as a learning resource, adding that it would attract a lot of good partnerships.
“It will also help to sensitise the communities and Nigerians as a whole on what the school feeding programme is about to do,’’ she said.
Similarly, Ms Susan Simpa, a Nutrition Assistant of the ministry, said that the programme was aimed at improving the quality of meals that over 9.8 million school children all over the country would eat.
“We are hoping that the manual will help the cooks to improve on the quality of meals they make for the students and to have a standardised pattern of cooking.
“So that the end result will be in uniform all over the country.
“This recipe books after production will have virtual components, apart from writing in text; we are going to make pictures on the books so that it will be useful for those who are not educated.’’
Simpa explained that the pictorial aspect of the recipe books would guide the uneducated cooks to be able to replicate what was on the recipe books.
Ms Safiya Sani, the Deputy Director, Planning, Research and Statistics of the ministry said that one of the objectives of the programme was to transform and empower women.
“As well as to fight malnutrition in growing children and also to boost the local economy of the communities where the school feeding is taking place.
“We thank the Almighty God that since the inception of the programme, we have not had any casualty, maybe children dying in terms of feeding in the school,’’ Sani said.
One of the cooks, Mrs Lydia-Omowumi Ogunmakin from Ekiti, while appreciating the management of the ministry, said she would ensure total compliance of the guidelines.
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“After this programme, whatever we are doing, learn and see how we are going to take it to our homes to follow it up and train others.
