Food Industry Excited as New Offering Enters Market

Raheem Akingbolu examines the recently introduced food solutions by Freddy Hirsch Nigeria and its likely impact in the market

2022 has been a difficult year for many people across the world. Several contending external factors including the Russia/Ukraine war among many others have created a multiplier effect which continues to impact considerably on food availability and food prices in Nigeria as in many parts of the world. In Nigeria, food availability and pricing is further worsened by insecurity in some parts of the country. 

To make matters even much worse, in the latter part of 2022, the country was shocked to witness large scale destruction of farmlands across more than 20 states of Nigeria, on account of flooding. Even though the floods have now receded, the impact of the destruction of farmlands will reflect negatively on food availability and cost in the coming year.

It is in the light of these developments, among others, that one must welcome every genuine effort towards value addition in food especially by way of preserving it or enhancing it. With much of the world tottering on the edge of a food crisis, individuals and organizations alike, in the food value chain must now put on their thinking caps in order to help guide the world through what is clearly a difficult stint for many especially the world’s poorest people. 

It is perhaps in the light of this, that there appears to be quite some excitement in food industry circles about the recent introduction of texture and stabilizer solutions into the Nigerian market by Freddy Hirsch, a company best known as a producer and distributor of spices, ingredients and flavours for the food, dairy and confectionary industries.

A food stabilizer, by the way, helps to preserve food as well enhance the natural texture, taste, presentation of the food as well as the feel-in-the-mouth, among others. As Kojo Brifo the company’s Managing Director pointed out while introducing the texture and stabilizer solutions, “Freddy Hirsch texture and stabilizer solutions help to preserve food and minimize wastage.” He added: “They help to optimize value for every Naira spent on food.”

Beyond preserving food, the food texture and stabilizer solutions also help to make the food considerably more enticing and therefore more appetizing. Of course, the end-result here once again, is that with a greater likelihood of consumption, food wastage is minimized.

The improvements that have been heralded by the food texture and stabilizer solutions have been very well received in key industries in the food value chain. In bakeries for instance, operatives are enthused by the fact that the texture and stabilizer solutions help to preserve bread, keeping the texture, soft for longer and also improving the taste and looks. A baker, Adekunle Adebisi, who spoke with this reporter acknowledged that his company only just started using the texture and stabilizer solutions but added that the impact so far has been impressive. According to Adebisi, “even though we haven’t used it over a long time, we are seeing an improvement in the rate at which people buy our bread. The quality of our bread has improved.”

Another baker, Raheemot Subair, said she was initially hesitant to try out the texture and stabilizer solutions when they were introduced to her bakery. “But about a month ago, we tried it and the result was very good. Our bread looks nicer and tastes even better than before,” she said. But even more importantly, she added, “people tell us that the bread remains fresh for a longer time and that it tends to last longer than before.” 

In the ice-cream segment, the feedback from companies which have adopted the texture and stabilizer solutions is similar to that of their bakery counterparts. According to Juliet Sagbama, who runs an events company, Everything Entertainment, “we make ice-cream for dessert by our clients. It’s something we do ourselves, so we are very particular about the quality because our brand name is at stake.” She added that the Freddy Hirsch texture and stabilizer solutions “have actually helped us to create better-tasting ice-cream. Even we ourselves can tell that the ice-cream has become much better now that we use the texture and stabilizer solutions, than before.”

In the dairy industry, the story is no different. Operatives are witnessing considerable improvement in product shelf lives as well as generally improved products.

Freddy Hirsch was founded in 1956 and has in the years since that time, steadily entrenched a reputation in the food industry as an innovator that, among others, caters to authentic African tastes.

According to Brifo, “As a company founded in Africa and firmly rooted in Africa, we understand the African taste bud better than anyone else and are well-positioned to be the partner of choice to global and indigenous beverages, bakery, dairy, confectionary, meat, snacks and other food-affiliated industries.” 

Continuing, Brifo said that the company was actually behind the most ‘flavourful experiences’ in many West African dishes, snacks and sweet goods. “As an indigenous producer of extracts for spices, ingredients and flavours, we know the diverse tastes and needs across Africa and are able to leverage our understanding of the unique taste requirements of Africans to preserve and create new innovative options aligned with their choices,” Brifo said.  

Emphasizing on the importance of the new texture and stabilizer solutions, Brifo said that the solutions have emerged from the crucible of years of diligent research and development. The company, he stated, is innovation-driven and will not rest on its laurels but will continue to innovate in order to deliver value to all its stakeholders. “Our vision is to emerge as an indispensable intermediary in the food value chain in Nigeria and the rest of West Africa, providing end-to-end solutions for the entire food industry,” Brifo further said.

“The current food situation in globally and in Nigeria in particular, makes it imperative for the food industry to be increasingly innovative, if we are to achieve the major objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals especially as they pertain to hunger and eradication of poverty,” Brifo added