Toward local nutritious foods for a healthy food environment for children: A community-led food innovation in Benin’s drylands

Inadequate food environments contribute to the persistence of malnutrition in dynamic dryland areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Developing nutritious, affordable, and culturally acceptable foods from local products offers a promising approach to address this issue. Yet, products developed through research have garnered limited consumer interest. This study aimed to assess the potential for developing nutritious, affordable, and desirable foods with societal actors to improve children’s food environments. We conducted 12 focus group and community sessions were conducted with 100 mothers of children under five and 12 local agri-food processors to select four foods commonly consumed by the community, assess processing practices, and identify local resources to enhance their nutritional value. Improved formulations were developed using Excel’s Solver linear programming tool. Two co-development workshops were held with local processors to test low-cost formulations. Nutritional value and consumer preference were analyzed using ANOVA, Tukey test, and binomial tests at a 95 % confidence level. Results demonstrated the feasibility of enhancing and stabilizing for market the nutritional value of local commonly consumed foods while preserving affordability and taste. Per 100 g serving, the co-developed foods have the potential to provide about 50 % of the Recommended Nutrient Intake for iron, 50 % for zinc, 83 % for protein, and 35 % for vitamin C among children aged 6–12 months. Three improved products were equally preferred to their regular versions. This study provides a practical, context-sensitive framework for improving the nutritional quality of local foods while preserving traditional dietary habits.