Bidco Africa is targeting health conscious customers with its relaunched Golden Fry brand in Kenya, aiming it at consumers worried about obesity and diabetes. Under a campaign called ‘Be Health Wise’, it is running an awareness campaign on healthy living in partnership with the Nutrition Association of Kenya (NAK).
Golden Fry is available in 500ml, 1Ltr, 2 Ltr, 3 Ltr, 5 Ltr, 10 Ltr and 20 Ltr bottles. Bidco is promoting Golden Fry as a nutraceutical cooking oil, packed with antioxidants and tocotrienols as well as vitamin A, D and E. Marketing states that it has vitamins and nutrients that “protect your body from various infections” and micronutrients that help in “digestion, weight management, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.” It also promotes the brand on the basis of it having alpha-tocopherol that “may help in slowing down dementia progression and reduce the risk of stroke.”
Few of these claims have clinical support. For example, the Cochrane Review, which provides meta-analyses of clinical trials, states that “the amount and quality of research evidence about vitamin and mineral supplements for treating mild cognitive impairment in people without nutritional deficiency is limited. At the moment, it is not possible to identify any supplements which can reduce the risk of people with MCI developing dementia or which can effectively treat their symptoms.
Golden Fry has been endorsed by the Nutrition Association of Kenya. Although Kenya does have standards for health claims, companies tend to have more leeway to make claims about fortification than they do in more strict markets such as Europe, where only a limited number of health claims are permitted, subject to support from clinical trials.
Nonetheless, Bidco’s innovation in cooking oils marks an important development in Kenya’s fortified and functional foods market. Traditionally, claims tend to be more oriented towards children’s nutritional needs and promoting healthy growth. Here, the health claims are targeted at an older demographic and designed to create a new value added, healthy cooking oils category.
Bidco’s Thika oil refinery in Kenya is the largest in East Africa. The company also has a significant presence in Uganda and Tanzania. The company employs 25,000 employees in East Africa, has more than 40 brands and is increasingly diversifying into value added products such as its Planet Soda carbonates, Sun Top fruit juice and Reaktor energy drinks.
