The Department of Consumer Sciences Food and Nutrition at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) hosted a Food and Nutrition Security seminar at the DUT Rendezvous Restaurant in Steve Biko Campus on Thursday, 06 June 2024.The theme of the seminar was conversations to inspire change: a student-led dialogue.
The programme was facilitated by Mrs Sinenhlanhla Maphumulo, who greeted everyone and gave context as to why the Food and Security Seminar was held, which was to create a platform where students can engage and explore their perspective on how food and nutrition security can be improved. The seminar was based on a project that Advanced Diploma students conducted for the module taught by Dr Onwaba Makanjana. The students investigated food and nutrition security related challenges encountered by the DUT students.
Dr Heleen Grobbelaar, the Head of Department, welcomed all the guests and students at the seminar. She shared how exciting the day was looking and the importance of the engagement. “We gather as a community of scholars, practitioners, as well as students to address one of the most pressing challenges of our time, which is ensuring that everyone has access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food,” she said. She further added that the seminar was an opportunity for everyone to deepen their understanding, share insights and explore collaborative approaches to tackling these issues.
Delivering the first keynote address, Nireshnee Reddy, Assistant Director: Nutrition, Dept of Health, presented the KZN nutrition landscape. She shared the statistics of households experiencing hunger in South Africa and the programmes and strategies the Government has implemented. She then shared the importance of having nutrition indicators, monitoring them, and utilizing what is currently available to improve those nutrition indicators while strengthening collaboration by involving diverse stakeholders.
“This is something we can improve on, linking with our industry partners with agriculture, food developers and researchers to improve food and nutrition availability,” said Reddy.
Pictured: Delegates at the Food and Nutrition Security seminar.
Photography: Morgen Kisten
Patience Makhaye
