VAST Ghana, SEND Ghana, and GAND join forces to reshape Ghana’s food environment

VAST Ghana, SEND Ghana and the Ghana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (GAND) have joined forces to advocate stronger policies to promote healthy eating and tackle the growing burden of diet-related diseases in Ghana.

The public health advocacy groups made the call at a workshop on Nutrient Profile Modelling (NPM), Front-of-Pack Warning Labelling (FOPWL) and healthy food policies, where they highlighted the need for measures that will help consumers make informed food choices and improve the country's food environment.

The workshop brought together perspectives from nutrition experts and civil society advocates on the growing availability and promotion of processed foods, many of which contain high levels of sugar, salt and unhealthy fats.

President of GAND, Rev. Prince Baidoo, said Ghana's food environment had changed significantly over the past decade, with processed and imported foods becoming increasingly available and influencing people's eating habits.

He said the country had a wide range of nutritious indigenous foods, but the growing consumption of processed products was exposing people to excessive amounts of sugar, salt and unhealthy fats.

“For the past few years, maybe over a decade now, we've had a lot of changes in our diet because most of our foods are now being processed, and some are being imported. So, we have a mixed food environment now,” he said.

Rev. Baidoo explained that manufacturers often add sugar, salt and fat to processed foods to make them more appealing to consumers.

He warned that the amount of sugar in some products could be much higher than consumers realise.

“Normally, if somebody is taking 'koko', you just take your cup of cocoa and add a cube of sugar or two to it. Now, that cube of sugar or two, when translated to how manufactured products are, they will come in like six, nine, 10 cubes of sugar and you wouldn't even know because it's embedded in the manufacturing,” he said.

He said excessive consumption of sugar, salt and unhealthy fats could contribute to diabetes, hypertension, weight gain, high cholesterol, heart disease and stroke, while also increasing the risk of some cancers.

According to him, high sugar consumption can affect insulin levels and the body's ability to regulate blood sugar, while excessive salt intake can increase blood pressure. He also warned that trans fats in some pastries and processed foods could raise cholesterol levels and contribute to the blockage of arteries.

Rev. Baidoo expressed particular concern about the increasing number of children developing conditions traditionally associated with adults.

“This is one of the heart-aching moments for us as nutrition and dietetic advocates in Ghana. We are having a lot of our children having diseases that we designate as adult diseases,” he said.

He attributed the trend partly to children's increasing consumption of sugary drinks, pastries and processed meat products such as sausages, which he said can contain high levels of salt and fat.

He said that children were increasingly exposed to unhealthy eating habits at an early age, rather than developing such habits gradually as they grew older.

Rev. Baidoo said childhood obesity was also increasing, pointing to trends in demographic and health survey reports over the years.

He called for a return to healthier indigenous meals, including beans, banku and okro, kenkey with fish and pepper, and fufu with light soup.

“Ghana, we are not bereft of healthy meals. Our meals are beans, banku and okro, kenkey, fish and pepper, and we can have our fufu and light soup. These are foods that our ancestors had. Let's get our people to be eating our indigenous diet,” he said.

He added that exotic and manufactured foods could be consumed occasionally, particularly at parties and other special events, rather than becoming a regular part of people's diets.

Executive Director of VAST Ghana, Labram Musah, raised concerns about the influence of the food industry on public health policies, warning that commercial interests could undermine efforts to reduce the consumption of unhealthy products.

He explained that the food industry involved a wide range of actors, from agricultural producers and manufacturers to packaging companies, retailers, supermarkets, advertising firms and lobby groups.

Mr Musah said industry interference referred to tactics used by companies to block, delay, weaken or undermine public health policies aimed at reducing the consumption of unhealthy products.

He argued that the profit-driven nature of the industry could create a conflict between commercial interests and public health objectives.

“Industry interference refers to the range of tactics and activities used by industry companies to block, delay, weaken or undermine public health policies aimed at reducing the use or consumption of unhealthy food products,” he said.

According to him, some companies use sponsorships, corporate social responsibility programmes, lobbying and other forms of engagement to influence policy discussions and build relationships with decision-makers.

He also identified what he described as the industry's four Ds: delay, divide, deflect and deny.

Mr Musah said companies could delay the introduction of policies, create divisions among public health advocates, shift attention away from the health effects of their products, and challenge evidence of the harm associated with their consumption.

He cited arguments around the economic impact of proposed regulations, including claims that taxes on alcoholic beverages could lead to the loss of 2,000 jobs.

He said civil society advocates had challenged the figure and called on the industry to provide justification for the claim.

Mr Musah also criticised efforts to shift responsibility for unhealthy consumption entirely to individuals, arguing that government had a duty to protect public health through effective regulation.

He called for a clear distinction between commercial interests and public health policymaking to prevent industry influence from weakening interventions intended to protect consumers.

He further urged the government to reconsider changes to the tax on sweetened beverages, calling for the reinstatement of a 13 per cent levy.

Mr Musah said that claims about the health benefits of some products should not be used to justify reduced taxation, particularly where those products still contain added sugar.

He also called for a clear definition of fruit juice to prevent manufacturers from using vague descriptions to influence how consumers understand their products.

Project Officer at SEND Ghana, Baaba Sam, said Ghana already had food labelling requirements that provided nutritional information on the back of packaged products, but the system was not compulsory and was often poorly understood by consumers.

She said the information could help consumers identify the amount of sugar, fat and salt in food products, but many people either ignored it or struggled to interpret the figures.

“Ghana has a regulation for food labelling, actually. So, when you take any product, and then you look at the back of the label, you see that there's a nutrition content table over there,” she said.

“But the issue with it is that it's actually not compulsory, so people cannot decide whether or not they want to put it there. The other part is that consumers do not understand. So, the ordinary Ghanaian does not understand, and we don't even pay attention to it at all,” she added.

Ms Sam said mandatory Front-of-Pack Warning Labelling would make nutritional information more accessible and easier to understand.

She explained that the proposed labels would include symbols and written warnings to help consumers identify products containing excessive amounts of unhealthy nutrients.

“The front-of-pack warning policy, or the FOPL, has two sides. One, it would have a symbol, and it would also have writing so that if the person, the consumer, is not educated, at least when you see the symbol, it gives you an idea of what the label is trying to warn you about,” she said.

She also raised concerns about the use of very small print on some food packages, saying it made nutritional information difficult to read.

“That is why the front-of-pack labelling policy is coming again to make it bold, legible, easy to read and understand, because if it is small, then why is it there in the first place if people cannot read it?” she asked.

Ms Sam further urged parents to make healthier food choices for their children, warning that packaged snacks were often prioritised over fruits and vegetables because they were convenient and easily accessible.

“Parents, when we are deciding the kind of snacks to give our children, fruits don't come to mind, or vegetables don't come to mind, but the first thing we go for actually, parents buy it in packs, and they put it down because it's easy, it's accessible and all that,” she said.

“Forgetting that we are raising future diabetics and future hypertensives,” she warned.

She said the increasing diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes among children showed the need for urgent action to improve eating habits and protect the health of future generations.

Ms Sam also warned that the growing burden of chronic diseases could place additional pressure on government spending, as more resources would be required to manage conditions that often need long-term treatment.

“The health of its people is what drives the economy. And so, if you now have to spend a lot of money, like the government is doing now, to take care of your population, it's a chronic disease that is not going. And so, it's like just managing the person to live,” she said.