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Africa’s ancient grains find new favour with gluten-free foodies

Daily Maverick · 🇿🇦 public South Africa · · 922 words · By Bonface Orucho
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What to know about Africa’s ancient grains find new favour with gluten-free foodies

As health-conscious consumers increasingly look beyond wheat, Africa’s indigenous crops are finding new commercial value.

Claims checked 11
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center100%
Right0%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

As health-conscious consumers increasingly look beyond wheat, Africa’s indigenous crops are finding new commercial value.

Why it matters

Growing demand for gluten-free foods is encouraging bakeries, researchers and food manufacturers to transform traditional staples such as cassava, millet, sorghum and teff into premium products for domestic and export markets.

Common ground

But at Nairobi’s Kirsten Bakery, shelves increasingly feature breads, cakes and pastries made from naturally gluten-free ingredients such as cassava, millet and sorghum.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-08-17-africa-s-ancient-grains-find-…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 11 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6
verified Verified 2
help Insufficient Evidence 2
schedule Pending 1
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Claim 1: “Nigeria recently secured approval through the Codex Alimentarius Commission to lead the development of an international standard for root and tuber flours, including cassava, yam and sweet potato flour.”
CORROBORATED
Three separate news reports confirm that the Codex Alimentarius Commission approved Nigeria to lead the development of international standards for root and tuber flours (cassava, yam, and sweet potato).
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Gastronationalism or culinary nationalism is the use of food and its history, production, control, preparation and consumption as a way of promoting nationalism and national identity. It may involve a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastronationalism
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is a Nigerian federal agency under the Federal Ministry of Health that is responsible for regulating and controlling the manuf…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Agency_for_Food_and_D…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A standards organization, standards body, standards developing organization (SDO), or standards setting organization (SSO) is an organization whose primary function is developing, coordinating, promul…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standards_organization
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 2: “About 140,000 tonnes of potatoes worth about R759-million are rejected from the formal market each year because they fail to meet retailers’ aesthetic standards, despite being suitable for consumption, according to Potatoes South Africa.”
VERIFIED
The specific figures (140,000 tonnes and R759 million) and the reason for rejection (aesthetic standards) are directly attributed to Potatoes South Africa in the evidence provided.
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web search NEUTRAL — Potatoes South Africa estimates that about 140,000 tonnes of potatoes, valued at nearly R759 million, are excluded from the formal market every year because they do not meet retailers' visual requirem…
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/africas-indigenous-crops-find…
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web search NEUTRAL — If you have some potatoes and eggs at home, try this incredible dish. I'll show you how to transform simple potatoes into a hearty dinner so delicious you won't be able to stop eating! For the filling…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuQXJjjXvJI
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web search NEUTRAL — ‘Won’t sprout or go green!’ How to keep potatoes edible for 6 months - avoid cupboards. Reduce your food waste by storing items differently - potatoes should be kept in the fridge apparently but not n…
https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/food/1707688/Food-stora…
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Claim 3: “At the University of Pretoria, researchers have also developed gluten-free ready meals, including beef and potato lasagne, using lower-grade potatoes.”
CORROBORATED
Evidence from 'Potatoes SA' and 'Tapping into the gluten-free trend' confirms the use of lower-grade potatoes for gluten-free products, specifically mentioning beef and potato lasagne sheets.
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web search NEUTRAL — “Potato flour is naturally gluten-free, which presents an enormous opportunity for product development, especially using lower-grade potatoes, since the defects in potatoes are masked when they’re mad…
https://www.farmersweekly.co.za/agri-news/south-africa/tappi…
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web search NEUTRAL — If you have some potatoes and eggs at home, try this incredible dish. I'll show you how to transform simple potatoes into a hearty dinner so delicious you won't be able to stop eating! For the filling…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuQXJjjXvJI
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web search NEUTRAL — Low-grade potatoes were used in breakfast toaster pies that can be frozen, reheated, and even eaten on the way to work.The lasagne sheets used in this product are made from a blend of gluten-free star…
https://www.potatoes.co.za/potato-ice-cream-and-beyond/
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Claim 4: “The global gluten-free bakery products market was valued at about $2.6-billion last year and is projected to reach $7.38-billion by 2034, according to Fortune Business Insights.”
CORROBORATED
The claim regarding the market valuation of $2.6 billion and the projection of $7.38 billion by 2034 attributed to Fortune Business Insights is explicitly confirmed by 'The African Mirror'. While another source mentions a different figure for the bakery segment ($4.6 billion), the specific figures in the claim are directly mirrored in the primary evidence source.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This article lists the Largest companies of the United Arab Emirates in terms of their revenue, net profit and total assets, according to the American business magazines Fortune and Forbes, as well as…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_companies_of_t…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Workday, Inc., is an American cloud-based provider of financial management, human capital management, and student information system software. The company was founded by former PeopleSoft executives D…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workday,_Inc.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Insight Enterprises Inc. is an Arizona-based publicly traded global technology company that focuses on business-to-business and information technology (IT) for enterprises. The company is listed on th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insight_Enterprises
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 5: “South African producer Colleen’s Handmade Sauces recently expanded into the United Arab Emirates through premium online grocery retailer Kibsons”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding Colleen’s Handmade Sauces expanding into the UAE via Kibsons.
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Claim 6: “Kenya’s Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization is piloting drought-tolerant teff varieties in Marsabit”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm or deny the piloting of drought-tolerant teff in Marsabit by Kenya's Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization.
verified
Claim 7: “At Stellenbosch University, food science researcher Tanja du Toit has developed gluten-free breads, muffins and pancakes using potato flour.”
VERIFIED
Evidence confirms Tanja du Toit, a food science student/researcher at Stellenbosch University, developed gluten-free bread, muffins, and pancakes using enzymatically hydrolysed potato flour.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Nederburg awards for ballet and opera in South Africa were established in 1972. Previously, the arts across the South African provinces were assisted by the Stellenbosch Farmers' Wineries Trust, w…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nederburg_awards
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web search NEUTRAL — Tanja du Toit, a food science student at Stellenbosch University, developed gluten-free meals using flour made from potatoes.Enzymatically hydrolysed potato flour overcame this barrier and allowed us …
https://www.farmersweekly.co.za/agri-news/south-africa/tappi…
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web search NEUTRAL — Learn how to make potato flour at home for gluten-free baking and cooking.This Homemade Self Rising Flour recipe combines basic pantry staples to create a convenient baking ingredient for biscuits, pa…
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/648096202667615632/
+ 1 more evidence source
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Claim 8: “Marama beans are drought-resistant and nutrient-rich legumes native to southern Africa.”
CORROBORATED
The claim is confirmed by Wikipedia (Tylosema esculentum), 'The African Mirror', and a scientific PDF, all stating that marama beans are nutrient-rich, drought-resistant legumes native to southern Africa.
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web search NEUTRAL — Marama beans, drought-resistant and nutrient-rich legumes native to Southern Africa, are being used to tackle one of the biggest technical and commercial challenges facing gluten-free baking: Replicat…
https://globalvoices.org/2026/08/21/how-changing-diets-are-c…
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web search NEUTRAL — of marama bean (Tylosema esculentum)—A wild African. bean with unexploited potential, J. Food Compos.Tylosema esculentum (marama bean) is an important orphan legume from southern Africa that has long …
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349001606_Marama_be…
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web search NEUTRAL — Tylosema esculentum, with common names gemsbok bean and marama bean or morama bean, is a long-lived perennial legume native to arid areas of southern Africa.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tylosema_esculentum
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Claim 9: “In February, British International Investment committed $5-million to Lovegrass Ethiopia to expand production of teff-based foods for domestic and export markets.”
CORROBORATED
Three independent sources confirm that British International Investment (BII) provided $5 million in financing/investment to Lovegrass Ethiopia to expand teff-based food production.
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web search NEUTRAL — British International Investment, the UK’s development finance institution, has announced a $5 million investment in Lovegrass Ethiopia. The funding will support the Ethiopian agri-food company to exp…
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/empowerafrica_empowerafrica-a…
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web search NEUTRAL — A decade later, as British International Investment committed a $5 million commercial loan package to Lovegrass Ethiopia, there were few skeptics left. For the company’s founder and chief executive, Y…
https://shega.co/news/a-5-million-vote-of-confidence-in-teff…
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web search NEUTRAL — British International Investment, the UK’s development finance institution, has announced $5m financing for Lovegrass Ethiopia, an Ethiopian agri-food company producing teff‑based products for domesti…
https://www.africaprivateequitynews.com/p/bii-invests-in-eth…
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Claim 10: “At the University of Pretoria, food science PhD researcher Daddy Kgonothi has developed a patent-pending modified marama bean protein concentrate designed to improve the quality and affordability of gluten-free baked products.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources (Centre of Excellence in Food Security, 'Diet shift ups demand for indigenous crops', and an SSRN research paper) confirm that Daddy Kgonothi at the University of Pretoria developed a patent-pending modified marama bean protein concentrate for gluten-free bakery products.
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web search NEUTRAL — University of Pretoria Food Science PhD candidate and Research Assistant Daddy Kgonothi has developed a patent-pending modified marama bean protein concentrate designed to improve the quality and affo…
https://foodsecurity.ac.za/news/coe-fs-grantee-develops-new-…
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web search NEUTRAL — At the University of Pretoria, food science PhD researcher Daddy Kgonothi has developed a patent-pending modified marama bean protein concentrate designed to improve the quality and affordability of g…
https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/big-read/2026-08-04-diet-shi…
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web search NEUTRAL — University of Pretoria. Daddy Kgonothi.The objective was to determine the effect of laccase enzyme and tannic acid on rheological properties of dough made from Marama bean concentrate.
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6450335
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Claim 11: “Companies such as Mugala Naturals are formulating snack bars using indigenous ingredients, including teff and amaranth”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.