Over the years, porridge made from sieved corn dough has been the staple food for babies below three years in Ghana. Until the introduction of “six months” exclusive breastfeeding system babies at the tender age of even three months have been taking “mmore koko”.
“Mmore Koko”, according to Ghana Health Service, has the propensity of getting babies drunk. They revealed that, when the maize is kept long, fermentation is realized causing alcohol to be produced. Alcohol is not good for the brain development of babies and may also cause babies to oversleep during the day.
During a workshop organized by UNICEF, on the theme ‘Equipping media workers with information to support media reportage on nutrition and nurturing care”, the Greater Accra Regional Nutritional Officer, GHS, Faustina Vimariba Tour said on starr fm that Mothers should be advised not to serve fermented porridge to their babies.
Madam Faustina said “…some people will give only ‘Mori Koko’ and sometimes they over ferment the ‘Mori Koko’ which is the maize porridge and it becomes alcohol. So, when you feed the child with it, it means that the child ends up getting drunk because it is the alcohol you have given to the child, and when the child sleeps, the child will miss the number of times that they’re supposed to feed.”
She added that, “we cannot really tell the alcohol percentage but alcohol is not good for the brain development of the child so it has some effects. If it’s something they like, it should be fortified by adding other things to make it rich. Fortify it with groundnut paste, soya, etc. Also, it shouldn’t be very light but should be thick and friendly for the child. Three to four spoons is enough.”
Although, this assertion is not scientifically proven, parents especially mothers, should be extra vigilant on what they feed their babies with.
