Rebecca Ejifoma
The Micronutrient Laboratories Limited, makers of Cognito Micronutrient Powder, has encouraged pregnant women and nursing mothers across the country to practise adequate and exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life to foster healthy nutrition and essential micronutrients.
This was the tone that set the mood at this year’s World Breastfeeding Week on the theme, “Step up for Breastfeeding: Educate and Support” powered by Eti-Osa Maternal and Child Centre (MCC) in partnership with Micronutrient Laboratories.
Cognito Micronutrient MNP, produced by Micronutrient Laboratories Ltd, is an essential blend of vitamins and minerals to support bodily functions. It has proven beneficial to the reduction of infant malnutrition in children under five years old.
This was according to the Chief Innovation Officer, Micronutrient Labs Limited, Cognito MNP, Dr Kenny Acholonu. He noted that Cognito assists Nigeria to track down the problem of micronutrient deficiency.
“Rotary International and UNICEF threw the challenge of local production of micronutrient powder in Nigeria in 2009.”
Acholonu, a holder of US and Nigerian patents, continued: “Cognito fortifies food lacking in vital nutrients that many of our citizens eat and serve their children. It has been part of the World Bank and Federal Ministry of Health programme to fight the scourge of malnutrition in the country.”
Cognito, he listed, comprises 15 micronutrients of which 10 are Vitamins and five are highly effective minerals needed to fight the deadly scourge of micronutrient deficiencies ravaging nearly 80 million Nigerian children and adults and significantly providing superior, improved health status to this segment of our population.
“The NAFDAC-approved Cognito Micronutrient Powder also recently earned the Mandatory Conformity Assessment (MANCAP) certification from the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, confirming the robust manufacturing standards platform of MLL,” he recounted.
The Technical and Regulatory Manager of Micronutrient Laboratories, Mrs Rachel Amadasun, commended the wide acceptance of Cognito MNP.
“It has been very uplifting for the company given the detailed attention to all quality and food safety parameters deployed to ensure that the consumer enjoys a wholesome and efficacious product offering,” she highlighted.
Cognito MNP, Amadasun insisted, can be enjoyed by both children and the whole family using the recommended dosages: three sachets per week for children and two sachets per day for all adults above 18 years.
“It would boost the immune system and reduce the debilitating effects of both bacterial and viral infections.
Also speaking, the Sales and Marketing Consultant, Micronutrient Labs, Maryanne Okoye harped on the importance of creating awareness for nursing mothers to practise exclusive breastfeeding.
She emphasised: “We are using this means to enlighten women on the need to do exclusive breastfeeding, and the need for them to switch to Cognito after six months to ensure their babies have good starts in life.”
In her words, mothers should not be stressed while breastfeeding so that the babies will get the required vitamins and minerals they need from breast milk.
In an estimate, UNICEF stated that Nigeria has the second-highest burden of stunted children globally, with a national prevalence rate of 32 per cent of children under five.
It also hinted that an estimated 2 million children in Nigeria suffer from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), but the country reaches only two of every 10 children affected with treatment.
Besides, UNICEF, WHO and the World Bank Group identified three malnutrition categories. They are stunting, wasting and overweight.
The organisations’ Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates 2020 reports that 144 million children under five are stunted, 47 million are wasted, and 38 million children under five are overweight.
