These manuals have been prepared for use by persons and organisations wishing to manufacture and supply complementary foods in different countries.
The manuals have been specifically prepared for use in the countries of Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique and Rwanda and contain generic information that will be applicable irrespective of the country concerned but also contain specific information relating to the four aforementioned countries.
While a number of different categories of complementary foods exist and the rationale and manufacturing feasibility considerations behind them are discussed below, these manuals will focus on the principles behind and requirements for the manufacture of cereal based complementary foods in developing countries and specifically blended porridges that have been fortified with either of or both macronutrients such as protein and fat and micronutrients, namely vitamins and minerals.
These manuals are specifically intended for use in Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique and Rwanda and will contain information specific to those countries as well as generic information applicable to complementary food manufacture in any country. Their use can thus be extended in future to other countries by means of addition of further specific information relating to the country or countries concerned.
These manual are designed to not only provide the essential principles of complementary food manufacture but also deal with the special requirements relating to their composition. The objective of the manuals and any related training courses should be that they will enable any organisation considering the manufacture of complementary foods to have sufficient information available to understand the key aspects of the theory behind complementary foods as well as key information on their composition, ingredients, processing, and quality and regulatory requirements. These in turn will be of value for any initial feasibility study into potential complementary food manufacture as well as once the development process has actually commenced.