Nestlé Nigeria says increased local sourcing of agricultural raw materials and the use of food processing technologies can strengthen nutrition, support farmers and deepen value addition in the country’s food industry.

The company also said its Maggi seasoning cubes are produced from locally sourced, fermented soya beans, dismissing public misconceptions that the product is made with chemicals.

The company stated this during a media tour of Nestlé Nigeria’s Agbara factory in Lagos on Wednesday.

The culinary plant manager, Oluwatobi Sami, said the seasoning cubes produced in Nigeria are derived from soya beans sourced mainly from Northern Nigeria and processed through controlled fermentation technology.

He explained that the process replicated traditional African fermentation methods used in condiments such as iru, dawadawa and ogiri.

“What people often call chemicals are actually ingredients and flavours derived from fermented soya beans,” he said.

Mr Sami said the production process involves cleaning, softening, and fermenting the soya beans under controlled conditions before flavour extraction, drying, blending, and compressing them into cubes.

He noted that the manufacturing process was automated to ensure product safety, consistency and quality.

According to him, minimal human contact with the product helps reduce contamination risks while maintaining high manufacturing standards.

According to him, the product’s origin can be traced to the 1880s, when Swiss entrepreneur Julius Maggi sought ways to address nutritional challenges caused by changing lifestyles during the Industrial Revolution.

“Maggi was created to help reduce cooking time, provide needed nutrients and make meal preparation easier for families. It was born out of the need to solve a problem and make nutrition affordable, quick and easy to prepare,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nestlé’s category development manager in Nigeria, Ifeoluwa Seyi-Obembe, noted that Maggi was created to fill nutritional gaps and is fortified with zinc and iodine.

She reiterated Nestlé Nigeria’s commitment to food safety, quality assurance and the use of locally sourced agricultural raw materials in its manufacturing operations. 

Also, the factory manager at Nestlé Nigeria Agbara Plant, Talla Fall, said that the facility employs about 3,000 people directly, with an equal split between Nestlé staff and external workers.

(NAN)