WRITTEN BY: Matthew Burkhart (mkburkha@ncsu.edu)

The Kijani Bar, a snack bar developed by NC State students, is bringing new hope to the fight against childhood malnutrition in Kenya. Designed for the Institute of Food Technologists Student Association’s (IFTSA) Developing Solutions for Developing Countries competition, the bar is packed with African indigenous vegetables and aims to provide essential nutrients to schoolchildren while supporting local agriculture in Kenya.

The project began when Fernanda Santos, faculty advisor for the student team consisting of Kaira Sidhwa, Catherine LaPerna, Sarah Williams and Luke Thomas, saw a unique opportunity for collaboration. 

“It was everything happening at the right time with the right people, but nobody planned anything,” Santos said. 

Santos explained that the students were looking for a competition topic when Carlos Iglesias, a specialist in African indigenous vegetables, reached out for help developing a new food product as a part of NC State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences International Programs’ larger African Indigenous Vegetables initiative. 

“When I saw his email, I thought, okay, a perfect combination,” Santos said. “The team needed a topic, and Carlos needed help with developing a new food product with African vegetables. After that, I just put the two groups together, and the students took on the project for the competition”.

The Kijani Bar is made with jute mallow, amaranth leaves, Ethiopian kale, rolled teff, coconut oil, sweet potato flour, puffed rice, peanuts, dried bananas, vanilla, salt and honey. These are either native to East Africa or cultivated by local farmers. The bar is designed to be both nutritious and appealing to children, offering a sweet flavor and a familiar green color. 

“The idea right in the beginning was to create something that was interesting to kids, so kids would eat that, not even knowing that there were three different vegetables inside of that bar,” Santos said. “But as they are developing the bar, it was attractive not only to kids but even to the health-conscious, health-seeking people”.

The team faced several challenges during development in order to make the bar feasible for Kenyan schools. They worked to make the bar shelf-stable and safe for rural areas where refrigeration is not always available or affordable. 

“They tried to use things that are simple,” Santos said. “Even if a food company in Kenya, which was a focus, decided to take on and produce that commercially, they could produce that without very specialized equipment.”

The students also eliminated eggs from the recipe to reduce the risk of spoilage and improve safety. 

“Making sure that it does not use any of those things, it took on a very practical approach to the problem, taking the real-world challenges into account,” Santos said.

Another important aspect of the Kijani Bar is its potential to revive interest in traditional vegetables among younger generations and urban populations in Kenya. 

“Carlos actually told the students about the effect that even African natives are losing interest in their own vegetables,” Santos said. “Introducing this and helping children to enjoy vegetables too, so the idea right in the beginning was to create something that was interesting to kids, so kids would eat that, not even knowing that there was like three different vegetables inside of that bar”.

To test the bar’s appeal, the team conducted a focus group with members of the NC State and surrounding Raleigh community who have East African origins, including children. 

The Kijani Bar is not only a source of nutrition but also a way to stimulate native vegetable production and support women-led livelihoods in Kenya. The bar’s ingredients are tailored to the region’s crops and soil, ensuring reduced costs and a sustainable supply chain. 

In preparation for the IFT FIRST conference in Chicago on July 15, the team held a mock presentation on campus on July 7, designed to closely mimic the structure and judging process of the competition. This gave the students an opportunity to practice their oral presentation and receive feedback from invited judges. 

At the conference, their work earned national recognition when the Kijani Bar placed third in the “New and Novel Foods” category, an award that highlighted the team’s innovation and the real-world impact of their product. Santos expressed hope that a company in Kenya would take on the product and commercialize it.

Santos expressed pride in the students’ work and the collaborative spirit that made the project possible. 

“It was so cool,” Santos said. “I mean, even just to be able to compete, nationally, I think that’s exciting and I’m super proud of them.”

Photo courtesy: Kaira Sidhwa