WATCH: Why the future of convenience foods is farmer, planet and consumer-friendly

02-Jul-2020 - Last updated on 28-Sep-2021 at 14:13 GMT

WhatIF Foods, the consumer brand of Singapore-based food science company NamZ, has opened its e-commerce store to consumers in Malaysia and Singapore, as the company seeks to provide convenience foods that are healthier, sustainable and supportive of farming communities.

Some of its convenience foods include noodles made from Bambara groundnut (legume) and moringa, shakes made from ube (purple yam), as well as soups.

According to the company, it took five years of planning and R&D to launch its products. Its production facility is located in Iskandar, Malaysia.

Christoph Langwallner, co-founder of NamZ told FoodNavigaator-Asia, the company hopes its convenience foods can solve the world’s paradoxical issue of a large overweight and obese population, while millions of others are undernourished.

“Most of the convenience foods available to us are calorie-rich, but poor in nutritional quality.”

By using what the company calls Future Fit crops like Bambara groundnut, its noodles are air fried and contain 55% less fat, 130% more dietary fibre and 110% more protein than conventional noodles.

In addition to providing more nutritious convenience foods, the company hopes to support sustainable agricultural practices and fairer incomes for the farming communities.

For crops like Bambara groundnut, it can be grown on degraded land with poor soil and dry conditions, which opens more income opportunities for smallholder farmers.

The firm is now eyeing another legume, lupin for its protein potential.

Watch the video to find out more.