SEND-Ghana, UCC students march for mandatory food warning labels

SEND-Ghana in collaboration with the Department of Food and Nutrition of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) on Wednesday, held a public education float to advocate the introduction of mandatory Front-of-Pack Warning Labelling (FOPWL) for processed foods.

Held under the theme, “Your food may be hiding too much sugar, salt or fat,” the float sought to raise public awareness of the health risks associated with the excessive consumption of sugar, salt and unhealthy fats.

Participants marched from the UCC campus through nearby communities, including Amamoma, Kwaprow, Abura and Kotokuraba, distributing flyers containing information on FOPWL.

FOPWL refers to clear and easy-to-understand nutrition warnings displayed prominently on the front of packaged foods to alert consumers when a product contains excessive amounts of nutrients such as sugar, salt or unhealthy fats.

Unlike detailed nutrition panels, which are often printed in small type on the back of packages, front-of-pack warnings enable consumers to make informed choices quickly.

The campaign featured placards bearing messages including: “Four million Ghanaians have diabetes, we need food warning labels”, “What’s in your food? Every Ghanaian deserves healthy food”, “Join the campaign for all processed foods in Ghana to have clear warning labels” and “Your food may be hiding too much salt, sugar or fat.”

Many residents welcomed the campaign, receiving the flyers and engaging participants on the importance of checking the nutritional content of packaged foods before making purchases.

The campaign was aimed at promoting healthier food choices, protecting consumers from misleading or inadequate nutrition information, and urging the Government to introduce a mandatory and standardised warning-label policy for processed foods.

Although Ghana’s current food-labelling requirements provide for the labelling of pre-packaged foods, nutrition information and FOPWL remain major issues in public-health advocacy.

Ms Joana Ankomaa Addey, Communication Officer of SEND-Ghana, told the Ghana News Agency that mandatory FOPWL would help consumers, particularly children and other vulnerable groups, to identify products high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats.

She said the measure would reduce the risk of diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular conditions.

Ms Addey lamented that Ghana currently had no operational policy requiring simple and standardised front-of-pack warning labels for products high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats, despite the sharp rise in diet-related NCDs and kidney disease.

She therefore called on the Government to fast-track the development and implementation of a mandatory FOPWL policy to help consumers make healthier food choices and reduce the growing burden of NCDs.

Mr Samuel Mbilka Smart, President of the Ghana Association of Food and Nutrition Students at UCC, also called on the public to support the campaign to make nutritional information on packaged foods clearer and easier to understand.

He said front-of-pack labels would enable shoppers to quickly identify “high in” products at a glance, empowering them to make healthier choices without requiring technical knowledge of nutrition.

That, he added, would help curb the growing burden of NCDs on individuals, families, the healthcare system and the nation in general.

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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.