Vitamin A deficiency and its tragic consequence, leading to blindness, is a scourge in many developing countries. In South Africa, tasty red palm oil muffins made with Malaysia Red Palm Oil and distributed in selected schools will help fight Vitamin A deficiency in thousands of children.

Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children and a major health problem in South Africa and most developing countries. To successfully combat it requires sustainable, long-term Vitamin A food fortification. A solution is found in the Red Palm Oil Muffins Programme, a social undertaking of the Malaysian Government and the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC).

Studies by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) in collaboration with the Medical Research Council of South Africa have shown that red palm oil effectively reduces Vitamin A deficiency, and importantly, at an affordable cost.

Subsequently, MPOC drew up a pilot study and Dr. Kalyana Sundram, Deputy CEO, MPOC, led a technical seminar for South African partners that included palm oil importers, NGOs, South African government departments comprising education, social and welfare services.

There was excitement and appreciation all round in the expert audience for the proposed bakery model for the red palm oil muffins. In fact, it was seen as the best model the community has seen to help overcome Vitamin A deficiency in South African school children. An overwhelming request was made to expand the Red Palm Oil Muffins Programme to the malnourished population in South Africa, and possibly to other parts of Africa.

The next step will see the proposed implementation of five bakery units as Phase 1 of the programme. MPOC funded the successful pilot bakery unit as the working model for producing 6,000 muffins a day or 120,000 muffins a month. The four bakery units will then provide 480,000 muffins a month when operating at full capacity. To ensure the sustainability of the programme, MPOC will sponsor the unit cost per bakery at Rand 250,000 or RM125,000 including a three-month supply of muffin ingredients.

The ultimate reward is positive good health and the prevention of blindness in whole generations of rural African children.