Bridging the Food Gap: Addressing the feasibility and applicability of three key traditionally Western food preservation techniques to improving household food security and reducing malnutrition in Uganda.

Food wastage is the leading cause of food insecurity and malnutrition in the world today. A huge amount of food gets wasted along the food supply chain from the time it is harvested to the time it gets to our plates. A significant amount of the food wasted happens in the home as well as on farms, in restaurants and supermarkets across the globe. In Sub-Saharan Africa, many families and communities are facing severe food shortages due to lack of electricity for refrigeration, poor storage facilities and limited access to markets. However for many centuries, different cultures around the world have devised ways to preserve food and make it available for longer periods of time and in times of need. These techniques have helped sustain many communities through wars, droughts and periods of scarcity, while at the same time providing much needed nutrients for a healthy diet throughout the year as well as providing a source of income. The purpose of this research is to demonstrate the feasibility and applicability of three key traditionally Western food preservation techniques, i.e canning, pickling and fermenting, which if applied in the Ugandan context can significantly reduce food wastage and help improve household food security, nutrition, health and income