Research Article Micronutrients Potential of Underutilized Vegetables and Their Role in Fighting Hidden Hunger James S. Chacha and Henry S. Laswai Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences, College of Agriculture, Sokoine University of Agriculture, P.O. Box 3006, Morogoro, Tanzania Correspondence should be addressed to James S. Chacha; chachajs26@gmail.com Received 5 July 2019; Revised 27 February 2020; Accepted 11 March 2020; Published 21 March 2020 Academic Editor: Alessandro Di Cerbo Copyright © 2020 James S. Chacha and Henry S. Laswai. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Background. Innumerable underutilized vegetable (UV) species have been utilized as food and as folklore medicine since time immemorial. Such vegetables have been part and parcel of the food dishes, especially to the ancient rural and periurban dwellers. However, researchers and agricultural scientists have given little or no attention to such vegetables, as to what constitutes their potentials in curbing hidden hunger. To achieve the global Sustainable Development Goals, Tanzania needs to address the issue of food insecurity through the use of not only grains, fruits, and edible insects but also through embracing the UVs. The overall objective of this study was to screen the indigenous vegetables with nutritional and health claims from communities in Kilimanjaro and Morogoro regions. Methods. Quantitative data were obtained by conducting laboratory nutrient and antinutrients composition analyses as per standard Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) methods. This was carried out to determine the moisture content, micronutrient, and antinutrients composition of the selected UVs. Results. The nutritional and medicinal claims of the selected UVs mentioned during interviews were validated by data obtained from laboratory nutrient and antinutrients composition analyses. Chemical analyses revealed that vitamin A, B 1 ,B 2 ,B 3 , and C contents ranged from 2.50-6.67, 18.94-182.95, 0.18-0.76, 0.09-0.43, and 46.52-198.08 mg/100 g, respectively. Minerals, on the other hand, Ca, Fe, Mg, and Zn contents ranged from 60.28-421.03, 4.28-21.05, 191.12-1151.91, and 4.28-21.10 mg/100, respectively. Moisture content, oxalates, and phytates contents ranged from 78.59-95.49%, 1.28-3.15, and 1.64-6.18 mg/100 g, respectively. Conclusion. The findings from the study added credence to the selected UVs that they are rich sources of micronutrients and crucial in daily human diet to curb hidden hunger. 1. Background Food insecurity and malnutrition affect much of the world’s population [1]. Approximately two billion people, represent- ing every country on earth, are estimated to suffer from micronutrient deficiencies that make them more susceptible to disease, creating a significant obstacle to economic growth [2]. About 239 million of the people in sub-Saharan Africa are affected by chronic undernutrition [3]. According to Ezzati et al. [4], the low consumption of vegetables and fruits is among the top ten risk factors for mortality. The diets of people in both urban and rural areas are mainly cereal- based resulting in poor diets with increased prevalence of nutritional deficiency disorders [5]. Micronutrient dietary deficiencies that lead to nutri- tional disorders are still common in Tanzania [6]. Accord- ing to Weinberger and Msuya [7], it is important that the rich sources of such nutrients are identified and promoted for daily consumption. Wild vegetables in particular play significant roles in the livelihood of many communities in the developing countries as food and medicinal [8]. They contain micronutrients that aid in promoting immu- nity against infections and providing food security for the people [9]. Unfortunately, little has been done regarding the UVs’ nutritional and medicinal use. Regarding the UVs’ nutri- tional and medicinal properties, many of them are still sci- entifically unexplored and grow wildly [10]. This explains Hindawi International Journal of Food Science Volume 2020, Article ID 9408315, 5 pages https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/9408315