Project Mentor: Professor Khanjan Mehta, Vice Provost for Creative Inquiry
Continuing Fellow:
Callie Higgins '27
2025 Impact Fellows:
Shelly Deng ‘28
Kristen Lomuto ‘27
Melanie Malkasyan ‘27
Samantha Sandhaus '28
Project Description:
How can innovations in micronutrient fortification be integrated with small business and policy development to improve nutrition and health outcomes in Sierra Leone?
Malnutrition remains one of Sierra Leone’s most urgent public health challenges, with nutrition-related diseases responsible for up to 40% of early childhood deaths and one in four children experiencing stunting—a lifelong barrier to health and economic opportunity (Global Nutrition Report). To address this crisis, Lehigh University’s NewTrition team has spent the past five years collaborating with the Sierra Leonean Ministry of Health, local nutritionists, healthcare workers, and entrepreneurs to design affordable, shelf-stable foods fortified with essential micronutrients such as Vitamin A, zinc, iodine, and iron. These innovations include SuperCakes (fortified muffins), SuperSip (vitamin water), SuperStock (bouillon cubes), and fortified lollipops—all classified as food products that aim to strengthen nutritional access without medical claims.
This year marks a major milestone as SuperSip moves into production and distribution through an in-country partner, bringing hundreds of fortified water sachets to consumers weekly. Meanwhile, the team is finalizing the formulation of SuperStock, a fortified bouillon cube tailored for local cooking practices. Building on published research confirming that 80–90% of Sierra Leoneans consume bouillon cubes daily, the team’s work has demonstrated the enormous potential of this product to transform national micronutrient intake.
Looking ahead, NewTrition fellows are co-developing the Fyne Food Network alongside district health officials and small business owners—a certification and training initiative that elevates the role of nutrition-focused enterprises and increases public demand for fortified foods. The team is also authoring two new research papers on low-income culinary innovation as an entry point for fortified products and policy pathways to strengthen Sierra Leone’s nutritional resilience. Through science, entrepreneurship, and partnership, the NewTrition team continues to pioneer scalable, locally driven solutions to global malnutrition.
Students interested in this project should possess a strong passion for global health and nutrition, along with a commitment to equitable business development in low-resource settings.
