Putting small fish on the table: The underutilized potential of small indigenous fish to improve food and nutrition security in East Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa still has a high prevalence of food insecurity. Small pelagic fish such as Silver cyprinid (Rastrineobola argentea) which is indigenous to Lake Victoria have the potential to be sustainably harvested in large amounts. Whole sun-dried Silver cyprinid was purchased from several markets in Kenya and analysed for nutrient composition, microbial counts and metal content. Processed Silver cyprinid can be a nutritious animal sourced food that contributes to a more nutrient dense diet. Potential sustainable catch of Silver cyprinid is estimated at 2 million tonnes yearly, which is four times the amount of the current catch. Currently, roughly 33 million people are living in the Lake Victoria basin and utilizing the whole potential catch of Silver cyprinid would provide a significant daily source of vitamin B12, calcium, zinc and iron. Heavy metal concentration appears to be low, but other food safety aspects like microbial counts call for value chain improvements. Here we show the large underutilized potential of sun-dried Silver cyprinid to contribute to fight malnutrition and food insecurity by providing affordable nutrient dense animal sourced food to a large number of people. It also highlights the need to improve the value chains in order to increase the safety of these products.

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