Dr Jacob Alhassan Hamidu, a Hatchery and Eggs Scientist of the Department, said this must be made a priority and proposed its inclusion on the School Feeding Programme menu as it would improve the neurological development and mental skills of the youth.

“Our research indicates that children who consume on regular basis food products fortified with Omega-3 fatty acids were likely to grow more intelligent than those not fed with such vital nutrition”, he told the Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of an outreach programme organized by the Department at Appeadu-Kokoben near KNUST, Kumasi.

The programme was aimed at sensitizing pupils and students of the Appeadu-Kokoben Basic School, as well as the community on the health benefits of eggs.

The Department has in recent times developed what it described as ‘designer eggs’, which are fortified with Omeg-3 fatty acids, as part of measures to stem the incidence of malnutrition and related concerns amongst Ghanaian rural children.

The project, which had received support under the “Stars in Global Health Programme”, is to promote the consumption of healthy eggs, and help transform egg production in the country, using locally-available materials.  

Dr Hamidu said they were seeking to find ways to make it more affordable and accessible not only to children, but also for adults to patronize the fortified eggs for varied health benefits.

“If we could dispense Omega-3 through eggs compared to the practice of giving pills as nutrition intervention, we could increase its acceptability among rural people”, he said.

Dr Hamidu appealed to government to resource the Animal Science Department in order to spearhead the development of innovative products to enhance poultry production in the country.

Mrs Kate Appiah-Boateng, a Senior Nursing Officer of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), urged parents and school authorities to always ensure that they fed their wards with nutritious meals to bolster their physical growth.

The programme saw the free distribution of some of the fortified “designer eggs” to the community.