FEEDING THE HUNGRY WITH MICROALGAE

Spirulina cultivation in Bangui, Central Africa Republic. Photo: Nutrition Santé Bangui

in Worldcrunch about a 72-year old French chef who has taken on the challenge of bringing spirulina to the malnourished youth of the Central Africa.

Freddy owns a restaurant, the Relais de Chasse (hunting lodge), a popular eatery in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic. He also works with an agricultural cooperative, hidden in the middle of luxuriant tropical vegetation, where the “miracle product” spirulina is made. Spirulina can get a child suffering from dietary deficiencies on his or her feet in just a matter of weeks.

In the local market spirulina sells for about 30 Euros per kilogram, and is a serious, natural and affordable alternative to the famous “Plumpy’nut,” a French-made sugar and peanut paste that is widely used by NGOs to fight against child rickets in developing countries.

Freddy comes from Brittany, in the northwest of France, but has spent almost half his life in Africa, single-handedly dealing with his small spirulina factory and a child nutrition center, where his “magic potion” is saving lives. Freddy himself swallows a large coffee spoon of it every morning, and welcomes his guests to do the same. It’s the secret, he says, to his own good health.

Freddy’s fascination for spirulina began in 1991, when he accommodated Dr. Jean Dupire, a general practitioner working for a local clinic. Dr. Dupire had just obtained two large barrels of spirulina that were supposed to go to Zaire, which was at war, but ended up by accident in Bangui. Locals didn’t know what to do with the barrels. But for the doctor, a nutrition specialist, they were a priceless treasure. He knew all about the virtues of this microalgae filled with proteins that also has most of the essential nutrients, and lacks only Omega-3 to be complete.

To treat the unfed children and compensate for the lack of Omega-3, the doctor developed a “spirulina-fish” formula. The results have been nothing short of spectacular. “In one month, a child suffering from severe malnutrition is back on his feet,” says Dr. Dupine, who plans to expand the model by training doctors and producers.