Expanding Green Leafy Vegetable Sauce in Benin’s Street Food Scene
Addressing urban nutrition challenges
In Benin, according to a report from the World Health Organization, most deaths are caused by non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes and hypertension. These health issues are increasingly prevalent in urban settings, yet the consumption of green leafy vegetables (GLVs) can help prevent them.
A significant portion of the urban population relies on street food due to their busy schedules. Many people leave home early and return late, leaving little time for home-cooked meals. Street food options tend to be high in carbohydrates and animal proteins while often lacking GLVs. Introducing GLVs into street food is a strategic way to encourage healthier eating habits, not only in daily meals but also by inspiring people to incorporate more vegetables at home.
The SafeVeg project promotes vegetable consumption by integrating GLV sauce into street food menus. This intervention aims to enhance the nutritional value of street food while fostering healthier eating habits.
Successful pilot in Cotonou and Parakou
In 2023, a pilot intervention was launched in two cities of Benin—Cotonou in the south and Parakou in the north. Restaurants participating in the experiment displayed information about the health benefits of GLVs. The results were promising: over 80% of participating vendors continued selling vegetable sauce after the pilot phase, and more than 50% of customers opted to add vegetable soup to their meals due to its taste and health benefits. Customers who consumed meals with GLV sauce reported greater satisfaction compared to those who did not.
Encouraged by these positive outcomes, the initiative expanded to five more municipalities: Grand-Popo, Lalo, Zogbodomey, Bohicon, and Dangbo.
Scaling Up: expanding to new areas
During the expansion phase, 124 vendors agreed to add GLVs soup to their street food offerings. The intervention was implemented by a local partner Rikolto and its field team for scaling up the GLVs offering in Benin. Their facilitators played a crucial role in identifying, training, and supporting street food vendors who agreed to participate.
To ensure sustainability, the initiative used a trainer-of-trainers approach. Experienced trainers first trained a core group, who then guided to all participating street food vendors. The training covered the selection of high-quality green leafy vegetables, the good cooking techniques to retain nutrients and enhance taste and the best practices for food hygiene and preparation.
As a result, vendors mastered the techniques needed to make vegetable soup both nutritious, safe, healthy, and appealing to customers. Using direct observation, 6,279 customers were reached during an intervention day. About 55,000 new customers consumed GLVs soup during 24 weeks. The project did a follow-up survey after six months and the results showed promising results. About 76% of vendors continued to serve vegetable soup while 31% of customers regularly included the soup in their meals.
Looking ahead
The success of this initiative demonstrates that small yet meaningful interventions can significantly improve urban nutrition. By collaborating with local vendors and organizations, healthier food choices can become more accessible to the wider population. The ongoing challenge is to encourage even more vendors and consumers to embrace nutritious additions like GLV soup, promote hygienic and healthy cooking practices, and ultimately contribute to better public health in Benin’s urban areas.
Story by Janvier Egah, Laboratoire Société-Environnement, Faculté d’Agronomie, Université de Parakou, Bénin
SafeVeg is implemented by the World Vegetable Center in Benin, Burkina Faso and Mali, with WUR, CIRAD and national research and development partners INRAB, INERA and IER. SafeVeg is financed by the EU and the government of the Netherlands.
