Consumers in Senegal cut back on stock cubes

Senegal has limited the salt content of all cubes to 55 percent in 2017, the first country in West Africa to regulate their components.

The stock cube market is a multi-million dollar industry in the region.

The consumption of stock cubes are an essential ingredients in many everyday dish including Ivory Coast’s “poulet braise” and spicy “jollof rice” in Nigeria and Ghana.

“This is garlic that I peeled earlier, mixed with green chili. I added salt and lemon, and I will mix it all and use it to marinate the fish as you can see”, said Food stall owner, Mamy Gueye.

Some consumers say they have cut back on stock cubes. This is because health experts say the salt in them can contribute to heart problems.

“The cubes did not replace ingredients, the ingredients are always there, the cube just came as an enhancer. Usually, you make your stock. cooking it for 4 hours, because you need to cook the crabs that go in it, mix your spices or marinades, and now you no longer have to do that. You put water, Maggi cube and tomatoes, and you have a pronounced flavour and you’ll think that the food is tasty, but really, all you are getting is a hint of salt and other things that will overwhelm your taste buds, but in my opinion it remains superficial”, said Chef Loic Dable at the Pullman hotel in Abidjan.

According to a market research firm, Fact.MR, Maggie is still popular in the West African stock cube markets , valued at $375 million.

Nestle says it had already reduced Maggi’s salt content, after the World Health Organization published guidelines on salt consumption in 2012.

Reuters