Prof Sheryl Hendriks is the Director of the Institute for Food, Nutrition and Well-being at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. She writes as follows.

Thank you for your help in matching interest and partnerships with our interest in the University of Pretoria Institute for Food, Nutrition and Well-being. A list of our Associates across the collaborating 5 Faculties and over 30 Departments at University of Pretoria is available on our website.

The activities of the Institute for Food, Nutrition and Well-being (IFNuW) are organised around five research areas:

• • Sustainable animal- and plant-based food production in a resource-constrained environment
• • Food safety, biosecurity, public health and regulatory control
• • Identifying and promoting beneficial compounds in foods to promote health and address diseases of lifestyle
• • Facilitating behaviour change for improved health and well-being
• • The food security and nutrition impacts of policies and programmes.

Our research is transdisciplinary and centered around several interrelated projects, including:

• • Animal breed improvement
• • Food safety regulation with regard to pathogenic compounds
• • Combating Malnutrition through Meals Prepared from Biofortified African Grains and Leafy Vegetables
• • Combating Lifestyle Diseases associated with Over-nutrition through the Use of Indigenous South African Foods
• • Fatty acid Profile of South African Animal Products as a Source of Natural Bio-active Components
• • Nutritional Exposure and Environmental Sustainability of Animal Product Intake in South Africa
• • Utilization of Cowpeas for Health Promotion in Africa
• • Sorghum and Millet End-use Development for Increased Food Security
• • Africa Network for Sensory Evaluation Research For Improved Nutrition (ANSWER)
• • Kafirin Encapsulating MicroStructures (KEMS) as Biomaterials for Bioactive Delivery and Tissue Repair
• • Improving nutrition through school-based interventions
• • Food security measurement and monitoring – identification of key impact indicators and design of a real-time national surveillance system
• • Food price monitoring and analysis
• • Integrated community livestock management
• • Health and food security assessment through Community-orientated Primary Care.

Our Associates have strong linkages and long-standing collaborations with key Universities in Africa. We are currently expanding the portfolio of projects in the theme area focused on production in a resources constrained environment related to animal production and the relationship of soil-plant-food nutrient transmission. I would be very happy to facilitate discussions with our lead researchers and researchers keen to collaborate in our focus areas – not only for the current ADRA call, but for future collaboration.