While parents face the challenge of having to pack appealing lunchboxes‚ the chocolate spread could one day become the ideal way to sneak vegetables onto the menu.
Cenette Bezuidenhout‚ one of the developers of S’coolBeans‚ said the spread was more than just a way of incorporating vegetables into a tasty sandwich spread for children.
"It is high in protein and contains the necessary vitamins and minerals needed to ensure the development and growth of children‚ especially those from low-income environments‚" she said.
Bezuidenhout believes the spread could be well suited to use in school feeding schemes.
"S’coolBeans not only provides an affordable solution to fighting hunger but it also incorporates three of the current global food trends‚ such as new uses for fruit and vegetables‚ more prominence to protein and good fats‚ as well as carbohydrates‚" she said in a statement released by the university.
The team is currently working with Innovus‚ the technology transfer company of Stellenbosch University‚ to develop the concept further in the hope of attracting a manufacturer interested in putting S’coolBeans on the market and making it available to school feeding schemes.
It has also been named as a finalist in the International Union of Food Science and Technology’s (IUFOST’s) Food Science Students Fighting Hunger product development competition.
The winners will be announced at the IUFOST 18th World Congress of Food Science and Technology in Dublin‚ Ireland‚ from August 21-25.
