By Chioma Obinna

According to the World Health Organisation, WHO, a healthy diet is essential for good health and nutrition and may help individuals live longer. Studies have shown that good food keeps skin, teeth, and eyes healthy, supports muscles, boosts immunity, strengthens bones as well as protects you against many chronic non communicable diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

These and more are the reasons why stakeholders insist that actors in the food business should always consider both quality and affordability of these foods for consumers.

Sadly, in low income country like Nigeria, the caterers, food vendors, canteens and ‘bukkas’ who serve this segment, do not always get the support they need to provide nutritious, healthy and affordable meals that could ensure that their customers get the required nutrients for good health.

However, to ensure Nigerians get good value for their money as well as ensure good and healthy foods are prepared by those in the food business, Nestlé Nigeria’s Out of Home business arm, Nestlé Professional Business and the Association of Caterers and Food Vendors in Ibadan, Oyo State organised  a food education workshop for over 200 canteen and food vendors with theme: “The Business of Food.” to educate the participants and provide tips on how to grow their food service business.

The workshop which was also designed on how to cook tasty meals was also graced by outstanding cooks who were celebrated and rewarded with relevant tools and MAGGI products to cook Nigeria’s favorite dishes.

Addressing the participants, Manager, Nestlé Professional Nigeria, Mrs. Funmi Osineye, explained that the collaboration with the Association of Caterers and Food Vendors provided opportunity for Nestlé to share her expertise in Nutrition, Health and Wellness developed over 150 years with members of the association.

Osineye said the workshop also gave the organisation the opportunity to introduce the new, affordable and pocket-friendly Maggi 100g powder in Chicken and Star Seasoning variants for small food business owners.

She pledged that: “Nestlé Professional will continue to build partnership with caterers and food vendors to offer better services to the industry.”

The Business of Food event kicked off with a Cooking Masterclass, where experts shared knowledge and techniques for managing the complexities of food systems.

Following the Masterclass, was the Cooking Demo, where celebrity chef Shine demonstrated the preparation of a vegetable soup mix of MAGGI Chicken and Star Seasoning powders.

Chef Shine also educated caterers on meal tasting and gave a step-by-step guide on how to cook affordable nutritious meals with a consistent taste for their customers.

Nestlé Professional’s food and product education workshop was packaged to equip food vendors and caterers with the knowledge needed to optimise their food business while using MAGGI powders effectively. The event combined knowledge sharing with a lot of fun and engaging activities to make it memorable for the participants.