After years of research, product testing, and  sampling, we at Forti Food were finally at a breakthrough moment. The excitement within our team was palpable—not just because we had developed a Ready-to-Eat (RTE) solution, but because we had created something that could truly change lives. Our journey began in Muna El Bada Camp, Jere, Borno State, where we saw firsthand that food insecurity wasn’t just about access to food—it was about access to the right nutrition. Malnutrition wasn’t just a lack of food; it was a silent crisis stripping people of their health, strength, and future. We knew then that our mission wasn’t just to feed—it was to nourish, to restore, and to empower.

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Armed with this understanding, we returned to the drawing board, determined to develop a solution that addressed not just hunger, but the deeper nutritional needs of vulnerable communities, though  fortified Ready-to-Eat(RTE) solutions. Before the next phase, we put our innovation to the test in one of Africa’s largest commercial hubs, Lagos. What we learned from this pilot would shape the next phase of our journey.

The Otto Community in Ebute Metta, Lagos—like Muna—is a place where survival is a daily struggle. Classified as a slum and informal settlement, it is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, particularly recurrent flooding, which worsens already fragile living conditions. However, beyond the failing infrastructure lies an even deeper crisis: widespread malnutrition, limited access to nutritious meals, and severe WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) challenges.

The risk of food poisoning is alarmingly high due to poor sanitation and the scarcity of clean water. Overcrowding and inadequate waste management further fuel a vicious cycle of disease and malnutrition. Here, children aren’t just hungry; they battle the compounded effects of food insecurity, contaminated water, and preventable illnesses. Families like that of Alhaji Gani Mustapha, with five or more children per household, struggle daily to meet their most basic needs.

At Forti Food, we saw these challenges up close, and they reinforced our mission—to develop Ready-to-Eat meals that do more than provide calories. Our solutions are designed to deliver essential nutrients that combat malnutrition and build long-term resilience. By addressing both food security and nutritional quality, we aim to break the cycle of hunger and poor health, offering not just meals, but a pathway to a healthier, more sustainable future for communities like Otto.

In November 2024, we launched a community pilot, reaching 1,000 beneficiaries to validate the effectiveness and adoption of our fortified Jollof Rice and Fried Rice Meals Ready to Eat (MREs). This initiative was driven by our ‘Innovation with Heart’ mission and unwavering commitment to sustainable nutrition solutions.

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During our preliminary community assessment, we engaged with key stakeholders to better understand the needs of the community. Based on these insights, we adopted a hybrid distribution approach, providing both Catered Meals and Forti foods Ready-to-Eat Meals(RTE) to residents, primarily women and children.

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Beyond distribution, our pilot was about understanding acceptability. We needed to know: Did our fortified Jollof Rice and Fried Rice Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) feel familiar? Did they taste authentic? How did beneficiaries perceive prepackaged meals in a culture where freshly cooked food is the norm?

By observing real-time interactions—how meals were prepared, stored, and consumed over time—we gained critical insights into adoption and usability. We provided select families with enough meals to last over a period, allowing us to track long-term storage, repeated use, and overall acceptance.

This was especially crucial given the challenges we previously encountered at Muna camp, where meal longevity and cultural familiarity affected adoption. Through this pilot, we sensitized the community to Ready-to-Eat meals, ensuring that our solution wasn’t just nutritious and convenient but something they could genuinely embrace in their daily lives.

To ensure widespread access to meals and accommodate those hesitant about Ready-to-Eat (RTE) solutions, we engaged local caterers to prepare freshly cooked meals. By sourcing raw materials ourselves and overseeing meal preparation on our premises, we maintained strict quality control over ingredients, hygiene, and food safety. However, traditional cooking methods posed significant challenges. Preparing and packaging 1,000 meals required extensive coordination, from ingredient sourcing to hygiene compliance. Wastage was inevitable, both in raw and finished materials, adding to inefficiencies.

Beyond production, distribution was another major hurdle. In high-demand settings like IDP and refugee camps—and underserved communities like Otto—ensuring fair and orderly meal distribution proved difficult. Demand often exceeds supply, leading to chaotic situations as families scramble for food. Despite efforts to maintain structure, traditional meal packaging was not durable enough to withstand the rush, causing spillage and food loss. Additionally, freshly prepared meals required immediate consumption, as lack of refrigeration or proper storage increased spoilage risks, limiting their long-term impact.

These challenges underscored the urgent need for a more efficient, scalable, and sustainable food aid solution. Unlike freshly cooked meals, our fortified Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) provided a structured, reliable alternative. Designed to retain essential micronutrients, as recommended by the World Food Programme (WFP), our MREs offered a longer shelf life, minimized wastage, and eliminated the need for refrigeration—ensuring nutritious meals were available when and where they were needed most.

For our Ready-to-Eat (RTE) Meals, we distributed shelf-stable products with a 12-month shelf life to pre-selected families. Immediate taste tests were conducted using detailed evaluation forms to measure satisfaction, ease of use, overall meal experience, and other key qualitative and quantitative factors.

The data collected provided invaluable insights into multiple aspects of our RTEs, including taste, texture, cooking quality, appearance, packaging, and portion size adequacy. This feedback allowed us to refine our products, ensuring they were not only nutritionally fortified but also familiar, enjoyable, and well-suited to the communities we aimed to serve.

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The cultural resonance was evident in the smiles and nods of approval. Some testers shared how the meals reminded them of their own Jollof and Fried Rice recipes, making the experience comforting, like they were eating from their own pots. Others complimented the seasoning and well-cooked nature of the meals,expressing surprise and excitement that such tasty meals could have a shelf life of up to 12 months without refrigeration.

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A major feedback was the request for increased portions among 30 percent of the testers, who felt the portions were too small, and 15 percent who found the rice texture either undercooked or mushy. Overall, 85 percent expressed their interest in eating the meal again, and some community leaders indicated a sustained demand among residents.

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The Otto Community pilot handed us a playbook for action—clear, direct, and impossible to ignore. Real-time feedback pushed our Research and Development team to refine portion sizes to 350g, ensuring meals met both nutritional needs and real hunger levels. But beyond the numbers, the pilot was a sharp reminder: humanitarian aid isn’t just about feeding people,it’s about understanding them. Without cultural alignment, even the best solutions fall flat. The overwhelming demand also made one thing undeniable: scaling up production and distribution of our fortified Ready-to-Eat (MREs) isn’t just necessary—it’s urgent.

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One of the biggest global challenges faced by humanitarian aid organizations is not just funding, it is managing caseloads, operational environments, and logistics. In many cases, more resources are allocated to transporting food aid through humanitarian corridors than to its actual production. This often leads to poorly prepared meals, food related illnesses, and persistent malnutrition, which leads to hidden hunger, where nutritional needs remain unmet despite food distribution efforts.

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Around the world, billions suffer from at least one micronutrient deficiency. One-third of children under the age of five experience Vitamin A deficiency (VAD), a condition that weakens immune systems, increases their vulnerability to diseases, and contributes to approximately 2% of deaths in this age group. To combat this, humanitarian interventions must prioritize nutrient-rich and quality of food.

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“Food is the most fundamental form of aid. It’s immediate, tangible, and guarantees impact in a way that money often does not. When you give someone cash, there’s no certainty in how it will be used. But when you give them food—especially young children—you know they will eat. Food is survival.”

— Adenike Adekunle, Founder.

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Our fortified, shelf-stable, and culturally relevant Ready-to-Eat meals (RTEs) solve these challenges for governments, humanitarian aid organizations, and development agencies such as the World Food Program (WFP), Action Against Hunger, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL, International Rescue Committee (IRC), Action Aid, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the Red Cross.

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Beyond nutritional integrity and cultural authenticity, our meals are designed for seamless adoption in vulnerable communities, minimizing disruption among beneficiaries. We speak the language of longevity (up to 12 months shelf life), of hope, and nutrition through our fortified food processing, allowing us to cater to diverse environments of vulnerable populations.

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We are actively looking for partners and collaborators passionate about SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) to help scale impact of our pilot programs as we localize production and solve nutrition problems on a global scale through our Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) solutions.

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Our Proof of Concept Facility in Lagos is already working with local farmers, rice mills, and ecosystem stakeholders, creating jobs, resources, and opportunities for thousands, while tackling severe acute malnutrition one meal at a time. We are also excited about

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Join us in the fight against severe acute malnutrition and hidden hunger. Partner with us today and help get Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) into the hands of those who need them the most. Let’s save lives,restore health, and create lasting impact, one meal at a time.

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A meal today means a healthier tomorrow. Join us in rewriting the future—one fortified meal at a time.

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