The presentation of the preliminary version of this, the first food composition table to be developed for Angola, took place at the beginning of this month, namely on December 6th.
According to a statement from the University of Porto, to which VerAngola had access, the development of the table – which included the involvement of professors from the Faculty of Nutrition and Food Sciences (FCNAUP) and the Faculty of Medicine (FMUP) of the University of Porto – took place within the scope of the program "FRESAN – Strengthening Resilience and Food and Nutritional Security in Angola", with the promotion of the University of Porto in partnership with the Angolan Government, with the management of Camões – Institute of Cooperation and Language, of local entities of the United Nations, FAO and UNDP, as well as the Val D'Hebron Hospital, and financed by the European Union.
Among the purposes of the aforementioned partnership, according to the university's note, is the contribution to reducing hunger, poverty, as well as "vulnerability to food and nutritional insecurity in the provinces" in the south of Angola most impacted by climate change, namely Cunene, Huíla and Namibe.
The "Food Composition Table of Southern Angola" aims to enable a better understanding of the nutritional value of foods and recipes from the region, thus becoming an essential tool for "nutritional and food intervention in Angola, for the development of interventions and public policies in the food area and, in particular, to combat situations of food insecurity that affect the region", says the statement.
Within the framework of international collaboration, a Food and Nutritional Education Pedagogical Package was also developed, which includes the dissemination of materials to be used in awareness-raising activities in rural communities, as well as training activities for health professionals and others who intervene in communities locations.
The team from the Portuguese university, led by professors Duarte Torres and Carla Lopes, from FCNAUP and FMUP, respectively, played an important role with regard to collecting data on eating practices "and local gastronomy and in the development of educational resources" .
Thus, two nutritionists carried out visits, between March and June last year, to Cunene, Huíla and Namibe, where they gathered data on eating habits, gastronomy of the region, as well as the food produced and consumed there, among other actions.
