About 2.4 million Ghanaians are living with diabetes, while approximately 7.5 per cent of adults have Type 2 diabetes, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The development comes amid a growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the country, with NCDs accounting for about 45 per cent of all deaths, according to the WHO and the Ministry of Health.
In response, a mass media campaign to push for a food labelling system that will require packaged food manufacturers to clearly indicate on the front of their products the levels of sugar, salt or unhealthy fats has been launched in Accra.
The intention is to convey in simple terms whether the sugar, salt or unhealthy fat content in a product is very high or not.
The system is intended to enable consumers to quickly understand the nutritional risks associated with a product before purchasing or consuming it, instead of relying on detailed nutritional information printed in small letters at the back of the package.
The campaign, dubbed the Front-of-Pack Warning Labelling (FOPWL), is also intended to address concerns over food marketing practices in which packages may prominently carry claims such as “no sugar”, “natural sugar” or “low sugar”, while other nutritional information, including levels of sodium and saturated fats, may require consumers to examine the fine print.
Spearheaded by SEND Ghana and supported by the Ghana Food Policy Coalition, the Ghana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (GAND) and the Vision for Accelerated Sustainable Development (VAST Ghana), the campaign seeks to tackle misleading food marketing and to protect consumers from diet-related NCDs.
The campaign further seeks to advocate the adoption of mandatory FOPWL to provide consumers with simple and visible information about the nutritional content of packaged foods.
Launching the campaign, the Director of Technical Coordination at the Ministry of Health, Dr Hafiz Adam Taher, said the initiative was timely because of the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Dr Taher, who stood in for the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, said healthy eating and active living were not merely lifestyle choices, but were important foundations for preventing diseases, maintaining productivity and improving the quality of life.
Prevention
Dr Taher said the government recognised that tackling NCDs required greater emphasis on prevention rather than waiting for people to be sick before seeking treatment.
He said the ministry was working on policies and interventions aimed at reducing the barriers to prevention and treatment, while strengthening early screening and detection at the community level.
“We cannot wait until people become sick before we act.
We must also address the conditions and behaviours that contribute to ill-health,” he said.
He said the FOPWL policy would make important nutritional information more visible and easier for consumers to understand at the point of purchase.
Dr Taher said nutrition information on the back of food packages was not always easy for ordinary consumers to interpret, making a simple warning label important in helping them to make informed choices.
“Information alone does not guarantee healthy behaviour.
However, without appropriate information, it is much more difficult for consumers to make informed choices,” he said.
He, therefore, called for the campaign to extend beyond the mass media to reach communities without access to television and other platforms.
Dr Taher urged Ghanaians to take greater interest in what they ate by reading information on food packages and asking questions when they did not understand the information provided.
“Take an interest in what you eat. Read the information on food packages. Pay attention to front-of-pack warning labels when they are present. Ask questions when you do not understand something,” he said.
He also urged consumers to adopt balanced diets and combine healthy eating with regular physical activity.
Dr Taher said the campaign should become the beginning of a sustained national education on healthy eating and active living.
“Today's launch should not be the end of the conversation. It should be the beginning of a sustained national campaign,” he said.
Public awareness
The Country Director of SEND Ghana, Harriet Nuamah Agyemang, said the rising incidence of diabetes, hypertension, stroke, cancer and other NCDs was placing a burden on families and the state.
She recounted the experience of a staff member whose mother was diagnosed with diabetes and whose father later suffered a stroke and was diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension and dementia.
She said the situation had affected the staff member's work, finances and emotional well-being, and added that similar experiences were being faced by many families.
“The rising incidence of diabetes, hypertension, stroke, cancer, name them, is taking a toll on many of us,” she said.
Ms Agyemang said poor diet was one of the major contributors to NCDs, stressing that foods high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats were readily available in shops, schools, lorry parks, markets and workplaces.
She said consumers had a right to know what was contained in the food they bought.
“Every Ghanaian has the right to know what is in their food,” she said.
She further stated that FOPWL would help consumers to easily identify unhealthy foods and make healthier choices without having to interpret complex nutritional information.
