The Ghana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (GAND) has raised concerns over the widespread nutritional deficiencies in many processed food products on the Ghanaian market.
According to the Academy, the absence of a front-of-pack warning label (FOPWL) policy in the country was a major contributing factor, leaving consumers unaware of the potential health risks.
Immediate-past president of GAND, Professor Kingsley Kwadwo Asare Pereko, warned that without clear food labelling regulations, the public remained vulnerable to excessive consumption of unhealthy ingredients, increasing the risk of diet-related diseases.
He issued the caution in an interview with The Ghanaian Times at the end of a two-day training for journalists in Accra, last weekend, to advocate for the adoption of a mandatory FOPWL policy in Ghana, to promote a safer food environment.
The GAND organised the event in partnership with SEND Ghana, a non-governmental organisation, to promote public awareness and understanding of the FOPWL as crucial to reducing the non-communicable disease (NCD) burden in Ghana.
“Although this will not address every problem in the food environment, it is a stitch in time that will save much, importantly to address the issue of nutrients of public health concern, which are saturated fat, trans fats, sodium and high sugar which is known globally to be a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, metabolic disorders and NCDs, generally,” Prof. Pereko noted.
He cited other countries that have implemented FOPWL, resulting in a decline in NCD cases and was optimistic that when Ghana followed suit, it was likely to experience same to effectively control the food environment.
Prof. Pereko, who is also the Vice-Dean of the School of Medical Sciences, University of Cape Coast (UCC), urged members of the public to be mindful of what they consumed especially when processed as “processing of food in general has a lot of implications on the food product in terms of even nutrients.”
“Some processing methods end up making the food in its raw state lose certain nutrients. And then there are preservation methods that increase our exposure to certain elements that could also have implications on our health so the more we consume such, the more we give ourselves problems,” he said.
Prof. Pereko urged that people looked out for nutritional information on every food item prior its purchase to be certain of what they were consuming while also adhering to defined preparatory methods.
“As a general rule, make sure on your plate while eating, at least a third of your portion is vegetables and fruits. Then one portion could probably be carbohydrates and then a little meat,” he said.
Communication Specialist and Consultant, Mr Archibald Adams, urged journalists to champion public health issues to promote behavioural change and build a healthier population.
That he said, should, however, not be done without adherence to professional ethics.
The Country Director of SEND Ghana, Mrs. Harriet Nuamah Agyemang, expressed hope that with growing concerns over diet-related health conditions, the advocacy would accelerate policy implementation to promote healthier food choices and public well-being.
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH
