Terms of Reference (TOR): Complementary Food Recipe Development and Validation Consultancy

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Background

Ethiopia has made notable progress in developing national guidance and programmatic frameworks to improve Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices, including complementary feeding. Despite these advancements, complementary feeding practices in Ethiopia remain largely traditional and predominantly plant-based, with limited inclusion of nutrient-rich animal source foods, fruits, and vegetables, frequently failing to meet the energy, protein, and micronutrient requirements of children aged 6–23 months.

In this context, the CORE Program implemented by SOS Children's Villages Ethiopia aims to improve access to nutritious complementary foods among vulnerable households — particularly children under five and pregnant and lactating women — through a combination of nutrition-sensitive cash transfers and household-level recipe promotion. There is therefore a clear need for a systematic, evidence-driven approach to complementary food recipe development that bridges the gap between policy guidance and household practice.

Purpose of the Consultancy

The purpose of this consultancy is to design, validate, and operationalize context-specific, nutritionally adequate, and affordable complementary food recipes for Ethiopia, aligned with national guidelines and grounded in local food systems, with a focus on Borena Zone (Moyale Woreda).

Consulting Firm Profile and Qualifications

Core Expertise

• Proven experience in public health nutrition and IYCF programming, complementary feeding and recipe development, and nutrition-sensitive food systems and/or social protection programs.

Technical Capacity

• Demonstrated expertise in diet modeling (e.g., Optifood, FNG or similar tools), nutrient analysis and food composition data, behavior change communication (SBCC), participatory approaches (e.g., TIPs), and delivering similar consultancy assignments.

Team Composition (Minimum Requirements)

• Team Leader (Senior Nutritionist/Public Health Expert – 10+ years experience).
• Food Technologist/Dietitian.
• SBCC/Behavior Change Specialist.
• Market/Food Systems Specialist.
• Media/Communication Expert (for video production).

Required Skills

• Quantitative and qualitative research.

How to Apply

Interested consulting firms are required to submit both technical and financial proposals. The technical proposal should include understanding of the assignment, detailed methodology and approach, workplan and timeline, team composition, relevant experience, and risk analysis. The financial proposal should include a detailed budget breakdown with professional fees, fieldwork and logistics, production costs, and clear linkage between costs and deliverables. Supporting documents include company profile, CVs of key personnel, samples of previous work (if available), and legal registration and relevant certifications.

Proposals must be submitted electronically to procurement@sos-ethiopia.org with the subject line: "Complementary Food Recipe Development and Validation Consultancy – Moyale (Borena)".

Deadline for submission: March 30, 2026.

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