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In a bid to help Ghanaians appreciate the consequences of the food choices they make, the Ghana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (GAND) and SEND GHANA organised a day’s symposium for University of Cape Coast students on the dichotomy between a healthy and an unhealthy diet.
Rational for Symposium and Advocacy
The symposium, held at the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Graduate School Auditorium, on Wednesday, 8th May, 2025, focused on Food Labelling and Marketing Policies in Ghana. It formed part of information gathering aimed at formulating a policy guideline on the Front-of-Package Warning Labelling and Nutrition Profiling Models (FOPWL).
Miss Baaba Sam, a representative from SEND GHANA, reiterated that the main goal of the advocacy was to help the average Ghanaian take charge of their daily nutrition by identifying a healthy, balanced diet from an unhealthy one. Again, the advocacy aimed to enlighten Ghanaians on FOPWL within Ghana’s food environment. She indicated that the craze for ultra-processed foods creeping into Ghanaian culture is worrying and a major contributory factor in the surge in non-communicable diseases and obesity.
A Call to Check Sugar and Salt Consumption
She asked the participant whether they had a fair idea about the quantum of sugar and salt consumed from the beginning of the year till now? Continuing her presentation, Madam Sam highlighted that, in recent times, there are more unhealthy foods than healthy foods on the market, arising from their availability, cost, and easy access rather than the healthy ones. She attributed this trend to the changing food environment, noting that there are now more salty, sugary, fatty, and processed foods in our community than real healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables.
Deaths Arising from Nocommunicable Diseases
Dr. Nana Ama Frimpomaa Agyapong of the Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, UCC, who spoke about the food environment, posited that, in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) assessment, non-communicable diseases are the leading cause of death. In 2021, they were related to 75% of non-pandemic-related mortality. Further, in assessing morbidity and mortality, the WHO still found that non-communicable diseases were the predominant cause of death, accounting for 43 million deaths globally; of these deaths, about 80% were in developing countries, including Ghana.
She revealed that deaths from non-communicable diseases, though troubling, are even more concerning because of the ages at which the affected die – premature deaths, with some dying even before the age of 20. According to her, these deaths result from changing food patterns and the overconsumption of highly processed foods.
Look outs on food labelling
Mr. J. C. Okyere, Head of Food Safety at the Food and Drugs Authority, took participants through what they should look out for in terms of labelling, sharing the following: the name of the product, the country of origin, weight of the product, expiry date, and the contents must be visibly displayed on the products.
Way forward on policy action
Chairman for the occasion, Prof. Sebastian Eliason, Dean, School of Medical Sciences, UCC, in his closing remarks referenced the good old days when most Ghanaians went out hunting and cultivated farms for subsistence purposes, ensuring the availability of fresh, natural, and healthy foods on the market for consumption.
He thanked all the students who participated in the symposium on Front-of-Package Warning Labelling and Nutrition Profiling Models (FOPWL), urging all to contribute to charting a path forward in the advocacy towards a desired end.
“I hope that this policy will not die on the shelves as has happened to others that were never implemented. I’m challenging the framers of the policy to ensure its implementation when finalised”, he stressed.
