CSUSB to lead groundbreaking research to combat acute child malnutrition

California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) has received $500,000 to lead groundbreaking research to combat acute child malnutrition in Nigeria by improving access to nutrient-dense, fish-fortified complementary foods.

The project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Feed the Future Fish Innovation Lab, is assessing the effectiveness of Tom Brown Plus Fish, a fish-fortified cereal in reducing the relapse of acute malnutrition and providing sustainable nutrition solutions for low- and middle-income countries (LMIC).

Acute malnutrition remains a life-threatening challenge in LMICs, where nearly 3 million children under the age of 5 die each year due to severe malnutrition. For many survivors, this crisis results in long-term health and developmental challenges. Tom Brown Plus Fish offers a promising solution, utilizing locally sourced nutrient-rich dried fish powder to enrich children’s diets in at-risk communities. However, little data currently exists on the real-world effectiveness of such fish-fortified foods in preventing malnutrition or on the barriers small-scale processors face in bringing these solutions to market.

“This research will not only help us understand how best to deploy sustainable fish-based foods to combat acute malnutrition, but will also offer a model that can be replicated across other regions in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond, providing a sustainable solution to one of the most pressing public health challenges,” said Terezie Tolar-Peterson, professor in the Department of Health Science and Human Ecology, department chair, and lead principal investigator at CSUSB.