Food Technologist – National Consultant, Special Service Agreement -Level X, Duty Station: Addis Ababa (1) 71 views0 applications

Assisting 91.4 million people in around 83 countries each year, the World Food Programme (WFP) is the leading humanitarian organization saving lives and changing lives, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. On any given day, WFP has 5,000 trucks, 20 ships and 92 planes on the move, delivering food and other assistance to those in most need. Every year, we distribute more than 15 billion rations at an estimated average cost per ration of US$ 0.31. These numbers lie at the roots of WFP’s unparalleled reputation as an emergency responder, one that gets the job done quickly at scale in the most difficult environments. WFP’s efforts focus on emergency assistance, relief and rehabilitation, development aid and special operations.

WFP Ethiopia is working with the government and other humanitarian partners to strengthen the resilience of Ethiopia’s most vulnerable population and to chart a more prosperous and sustainable future for the next generation. The Country Office also supports programmes that use food assistance to empower women, transform areas affected by climate change and keep children in school. It aims to contribute to Ethiopia’s five-year development agenda, the Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP), through which the Government combats food insecurity.

WFP is supporting the feeding programme of refugees. Sorghum is provided for free in kind to WFP, but its quality is not acceptable by the beneficiaries. The latter expressed interest in receiving pasta or noodles.

Therefore, WFP will explore the possibility to generate a business investment case to produce at national level fortified sorghum / wheat blend pasta / noodles to be destined to Refugees camp populations. The generation of the business case involves exploring local production of a small batch of sorghum / wheat noodle for an acceptability trial. When not possible locally, the Chinese WFP office will facilitate the production in China.

For this reason, a Food Technologist is urgently needed. More specifically, the selected food technologist will closely work with an international food technologist and support by: (1) developing a few samples of sorghum/wheat mixed blend noodles to conduct an acceptability test amongst the refugee population and host community in Ethiopia; and (2) conducting an evaluation of the technology and capacity of local manufacturers/millers to assess whether they could support the scale-up of the production of mix-blends noodles (3) Assessing capacity gap and develop business plan for large scale production of sorghum-based noodles in Ethiopia.

In view of the limitations caused by the COVID-19 emergency, the international consultant may face travel restriction. In this case, the local consultant will get remote support from China and visits to production sites where the factories are to take stock of current experience and conduct an evaluation of milling and fortification equipment and materials. The focus will be on transfer of Chinese knowledge on noodle production with mix-blends of wheats using efficient and cost-effective small-scale flour milling and fortification technology, and packaging, marketing & distribution solutions for milled/fortified products. Additionally, expertise will be required to formulate a small batch of sorghum-wheat blend noodles to conduct an acceptance test within the refugee camps and host community. Finally, the local consultant is expected to develop a business plan for large scale production of sorghum-based noodles in Ethiopia.

This position is in the Nutrition unit of the Ethiopia country office in Addis Ababa. The profile will cover the responsibilities outline below with a reporting line to the Head of Unit, or the designate.

1. With the support of the advisor from China, assess the Ethiopian manufacturers capacity to produce noodles;
2. Support the international consultant in formulation and production of small batch of fortified sorghum-based noodles for feasibility test in Ethiopia;
3. Jointly with the WFP Ethiopia Country Office, develop the TOR and specifications of an acceptance test;
4. Ensure safety and quality standards services available in Ethiopia;
5. Work closely with the food technologist to generate evidence to include fortified noodles into WFP’s food basket
6. Asses the available sorghum from WFP basket and local production in Ethiopia
7. Document wheat value chain and market opportunities in Ethiopia
8. Conduct small market assessment on the demand for sorghum-based noodles in the host community
9. Analyze the potential scale-up opportunities to develop a new value chain, beyond WFP

10. Develop a business plan for large scale production of sorghum-based noodles in Ethiopia

Expertise will be required in the following areas:

1. 1. Food science and technology
   2. Food safety, quality control, and assurance in processing including HACCP, GHP, GMP, GAP
   3. Food plant management
   4. Packaging, storage, and distribution
   5. Developing a business case
2. Perform other related duties as required

1. In consultation with the Ethiopia CO, formulate and produce sample of sorghum/wheat mix-blended noodles to conduct acceptability trials;
2. Assist, to the extent possible, the Ethiopia CO in conducting the acceptability trial of the mix-blend noodles with the refugees and host community;
3. Produce an assessment report on Sorghum/wheat value chain and market opportunities in Ethiopia
4. Report from market assessment on the demand of sorghum-based noodle in host community
5. Business investment case for potential scale-up opportunities to develop a new value chain for large scale production of sorghum-based noodle in Ethiopia
6. Assess local factories and document recommendations on equipment, capacity development and standards compliance;
7. Assist the Ethiopia CO in developing a business investment case to produce mixed-blends of sorghum-based noodles and development of a potential noodles value chain linked to WFP’s delivery of in-kind assistance to refugees and school meals programmes;

Education: Advanced University Degree (MSc) in Food Science, Food Technology or related fields relevant to this assignment.

Experience: From Five to Eight years of experience on:

• Food processing preferably in fortification of staple foods, an operational role
• Experience on agriculture value chain
• Experience in developing business plan
• Proven ability to work in an environment requiring collaboration with the private sector, government and national and international organizations.
• Past engagements in research & development of new food products development is desirable

Knowledge and Skills:

• Innovative and with strong command of emerging technologies in cereal products, blended flours, extrusion technology, milling and milled products fortification, food packaging designs that are protective, durable and cost effective
• Capacity to work in team and with a variety of stakeholders in order to come up with a business investment case

Language: Fluency in both oral and written communication in English. Knowledge of the local language and Mandarin is an added advantage.