Lead Mentor: Sean Vassilaros, Computer Science and Business
2024 Impact Fellows:
Callie Higgins ‘27
Vincent Jordan ‘27
Bingxin Liu ‘25
Abby Schwartz '25
Project Description:
The lack of healthy and nutritious food options is an endemic issue across Sierra Leone that contributes to the challenge of 44% of the children being stunted in growth, 22% being affected by wasting, and the number one cause of child mortality in the country. Over the past four years, the NewTrition team has developed several shelf-stable nutrient-dense foods at Lehigh, including muffins (SuperCakes), vitamin water (SuperSip), bouillon cubes, and lollipops, all of which deliver micronutrients such as Vitamin A, zinc, iodine, and iron to vulnerable children. In Summer 2023, the Newtrition team solidified two business partnerships with local bakeries in Makeni, the third-largest city in Sierra Leone, to produce and sell SuperCakes on a long-term basis. The next phase of the work includes scaling the bakery’s muffin production from 500 muffins a day to over 3,000 muffins a day, implementing biodegradable packaging, conducting shelf-life testing, and expanding the market reach. The team will also develop the vitamin water and other products with the goal of introducing them to the Sierra Leonean marketplace. Students on this project should have a passion for global health and nutrition as well as business development in low-resource settings.
