Warning labels needed to tackle NCDs – SEND Ghana
SEND Ghana has launched a mass media campaign to educate the public on front-of-package warning labelling and promote healthier food choices as part of efforts to prevent non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
The campaign seeks to make nutritional information on packaged foods easier for consumers to understand and use when making purchasing decisions.
It is being held on the theme: “Healthy Eating for Active Living: The Role of Front-of-Package Warning Labelling.”
Speaking at the launch in Accra yesterday, the Director of Technical Coordination at the Ministry of Health, Dr Hafiz Adam-Taher, said healthy eating and physical activity were essential to preventing diseases and improving quality of life.
Dr Adam-Taher, who read a speech on behalf of the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, said NCDs accounted for 43 per cent of all-cause mortality, making prevention a priority for the ministry.
He said front-of-package warning labels would help consumers identify nutritional information more easily, but added that public education and access to healthier foods were also necessary to support informed dietary choices.
He urged the media to translate technical nutrition information into simple messages that could reach households, schools, workplaces and communities.
He also called on parents to encourage healthy eating among children, warning that unhealthy dietary habits developed early in life could contribute to obesity and hypertension.
Dr Adam-Taher said the government was prioritising preventive healthcare through community-level screening and early detection to reduce complications and treatment costs.
He encouraged consumers to read food labels, maintain balanced diets and engage in regular physical activity.
The Director further urged food manufacturers to provide transparent nutritional information and explore product reformulation to promote healthier food choices.
He commended SEND Ghana and its partners for the initiative and called on stakeholders to sustain public education on healthy eating and active living.
The Country Director of SEND Ghana, Ms Harriet Agyemang, called for the introduction of front-of-package warning labels on food products to help consumers identify unhealthy foods and make informed dietary choices.
She said the policy would help reduce the rising incidence of NCDs, including diabetes, hypertension, stroke and cancer, which continued to place financial and emotional burdens on families.
Ms Agyemang said poor diets, particularly the excessive consumption of sugar, salt and unhealthy fats, contributed significantly to NCDs.
BY EUGENE AMPIAW
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