Enact policies for processed foods to combat NCDs - Experts demand of govt

The country needs robust policies to safeguard the food environment from excessive intrusion of unhealthy processed foods, a former nutritionist of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has said. 

Professor Anna Lartey, now an adjunct professor of Nutrition at the University of Ghana, said the processed foods had very high sugar, salt and fats that contributed significantly to the upsurge of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, heart diseases and certain cancers in the country.

Prof. Lartey made the call at the launch of an advocacy campaign for the implementation of front-of-pack (FOP) warming labelling policies in the country last Thursday.

The initiative is being spearheaded by SEND-Ghana, in collaboration with the Ghana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (GANG) and other collaborators. 

Prof. Lartey said even more worrying was that the processed foods that had flooded the market in Ghana did not have front-of-pack (FOP) warning labels to guide consumers to make informed choices.

She said the current labelling regime of processed food items contained a lot of writings, which many people, especially the illiterate, did not understand.

"Some countries have changed their labelling processes to colour codes or figures. Once you see a certain colour code or figure on a package, you know right away that this product has too much salt or sugar,” she pointed out.

“We do not need to be literate to choose healthy diets but we need to help the consumer to make the right decision by putting the right logos on it so that once they see it, they know that this food is high in salt, fats, sugar and stay away from them," she added. 

Context

Front-of-pack (FOP) warning labelling is simplified nutrition information on the front of food packaging that aims to help consumers with their food choices.

A good FOP warning labelling regime ensures that a label provides useful information on the levels of sugar, salt, fats, among others, for anyone who wants to buy packaged foods.

There are health challenges in the country, particularly rising rates of diabetes and hypertension.

Health experts and nutritionists have attributed these health challenges to unhealthy dietary patterns characterised by high consumption of sugars, trans fats and excessive salt.

It is in response to the growing health concerns associated with the unhealthy consumption patterns that SEND-Ghana and its partners have launched the advocacy initiative to push for the implementation of mandatory FOP for food warming labels.

The initiative seeks to help consumers to easily identify ultra-processed foods high in sugars, salt and fat.

The advocates are pushing for the establishment of a mandatory FOP food warming labelling policy in the country. 

It is their estimation that such a policy would provide robust legal framework for regulatory bodies in the food safety space and improve food safety; empower consumers to make informed food choices; improve nutritional awareness to prevent diseases; and promote accountability for industry players. 

Important move

Prof. Lartey said the FOP advocacy campaign was a critical step towards addressing the inherent challenges in Ghana's fast-changing food environment.

She said it was worrying that Ghanaians had turned away from the eating of healthy indigenous foods and rather developed insatiable taste for processed foods.

"Year by year, we see that diabetes prevalence is increasing and people at younger ages are dying of these NCDs, so we need to do something urgent to enhance our food environment.

"Yet, the food we eat are energy-densed, nutrient-poor, contains a lot of sugar, salt, and saturated fats; and this is not good for our health," she said.

The Country Director of SEND-Ghana, Harriet Nuamah Agyemang, called on the government to prioritise the formulation of policies that would be comprehensive enough to sanitise the food environment in the country and improve food safety.

"We know that the government has initiated processes of getting policies together to improve food safety space; but what we are asking of the government is for action to be expedited to get the polices ready for use," she said.

Ms Agyemang added that there must be enhanced stakeholder engagement and education on the policy that would be developed on food safety to drum home the message to every Ghanaian so as to enhance compliance.

Additionally, she said it was important to tighten the noose on the manufacturers and importers of food items to ensure that the food environment was not saturated with unhealthy food.

"Especially for those who are importing food items, we need to demand the appropriate food information on their wares.

Those who are manufacturing locally must also reformulate the food they produce," Ms Agyemang said. 

Public awareness

She urged members of the public to be concerned about the food they ate, particularly what they picked from the shelves at super markets.

"You should be concerned to read what is on the pack and also be concerned to understand what you are reading.

If you do not understand what is on the label, then you have to speak up so that manufacturers will make it more understandable," Ms Agyemang said.

Again, she asked members of the public to be responsible in demanding for the warning signs on the labels to help reduce non-communicable diseases.

SEND-Ghana also called on stakeholders such as the media, the Ghana Education Service (GES) and civil society organisations (CSOs) in the consumer rights space to join the advocacy to improve the food environment.