Galaxy Food launches fortified yoghurt to combat malnutrition in Tanzania

TANZANIA – Galaxy Food & Beverages, in collaboration with the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and other partners, has launched a new fortified yoghurt in Tanzania.

This initiative is part of a broader effort to address widespread malnutrition, which affects nearly 30% of children under five in the country.

The yoghurt, developed with support from Arla Foods Ingredients, is tailored to meet the nutritional needs of low-income families.

Packed in convenient 100ml sachets, the yoghurt is affordable, nutritious, and tailored to local taste preferences, making it easier to distribute, even in remote communities.

With dairy consumption on the rise in Tanzania, the initiative also holds strong commercial potential, supporting the development of a sustainable dairy value chain and creating local employment opportunities.

The product is already being distributed through schools and retail outlets in Dar es Salaam, Arusha, and Kilimanjaro, making it accessible to communities that need it most.

The partnership adopted a co-creation approach with each partner bringing their expertise to the table to come up with an innovative dairy-based product solution that addresses several contractions, aiming at the sweet spot in the middle where all are fulfilled.

Later on, the initiative will enter a new phase, supported by funding from the Austrian Development Agency (ADA).

This next phase will focus on scaling the model and introducing new solar-powered milk cooling hubs near dairy farmers to sustainably reduce milk spoilage, while securing dairy farmers’ incomes and a stable supply of safe milk to dairy processors. 

Milk in Tanzania

Consumption of milk and milk products in Tanzania is 62 litres per capita (combined), whereas the amount recommended by FAO is 200 litres per capita.

Tanzania is faced with a triple burden of malnutrition, with the poorer households carrying the most significant burden 30% of children under the age of five are stunted. 3% wasted and 12% underweight.

This overlaps with other nutritional challenges, including high levels of anaemia in children (6-59 months) and women of reproductive age at 59% and 42% respectively, and increasing levels of overweight and obesity.

The project was inspired by earlier work of the key global partners in Ethiopia, where the first ever fortified yoghurt standard was developed, and the partners aspire to stimulate other commercial, for-profit partnerships to develop affordable nutrition.

The project supports the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): SDG 2 “End Hunger”, SDG 8 “Decent Work and Economic Growth”, SDG 12 “Responsible Consumption and Production” and SDG 17 “Partnership for Goals”.

Other project partners are GAIN, SUN Business Network, Arla Foods Ingredients, Novonesis, Promaco, and DSM, along with the Tanzanian Dairy Board and Tanzania Bureau of Standards.

Subscribe to receive our email newsletters with the latest news and insights from Africa, the Middle East and around the world. SUBSCRIBE HERE