By Isaac Arkoh
Caper Coast, Oct. 09, GNA – The Ghana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (GAND), has urged government to be bold and heed to the clarion calls by citizens to bring an end to the destruction of the country’s forests, farmlands, water bodies and the associated biodiversity.
GAND indicated that the fight against illegal mining was not a battlefield for blame games but for all stakeholders, including the government, opposition political parties, civil society organisations, traditional rulers, and religious groups among others to come together to address the national problem.
Professor Kingsley Preko, President of GNAD told the Ghana News Agency posterity would not be kind to the present generation if they failed to take a unified approach to save their water bodies and forest reserves.
“The destruction of the environment is not safe for our national food security. The quality and safety issues related to food and water must not be overlooked.
“If we will continue to eat food that has some kind of poisonous chemicals, then the national health of the country and her citizens are at high risk.
“Much evidence are coming up in areas where the water bodies have been polluted with newborn babies with defects,” Prof Preko said in an interview on the sidelines of the official opening of the 9th Africa Nutrition Conference 2024.
Being held at the University of Cape Coast, the Conference started from Monday, October 7 and would end on Friday, October 11, the programme is being attended by many Food and Nutritionists across the globe in person and virtual.
It is under the theme: “Food and Nutrition in a changing world: Implications for nutrition security and health in Africa.”
In a panel discussion, on the topic: “The road to ensuring a healthy food environment for Ghana: Advocating for mandatory Front-of-Package (FOP) warning food labelling,” the discussants lauded Ghana’s move to implement FOP that allowed consumers to quickly compare products and make informed decisions about what to buy and eat.
FOP are labels required to be displayed on the front of packaged food and drinks that exceed specified limits for sugar, sodium, saturated fat, and/or energy content (calories) among others.
Mr Desmond Paa Kwesi Hackman of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) said the FDA had been conducting consumer research to explore the development of a FOP nutrition labelling scheme.
To achieve that, he assured that his outfit will soon commence intensive public education for the consuming public and other key stakeholders to rake in their support on the essence of FOP.
For the Ghana Health Service, Ms Pearl Salomey, a Nutritionist, said FOP labelling would complement nutrition facts label that is required on food packages by displaying simplified, at-a-glance nutrition information that gave consumers additional context to help them quickly and easily make more informed food selections.
“FOP provides critical information about the product, including its ingredients, manufacturing date, expiration date and nutritional value and usage instructions, among others.
“This information helps consumers make informed decisions, particularly if they have allergies, dietary restrictions, or other health concerns,” she noted.
Other speakers including Ms Celine Awuor, the Executive Director, International Institute for Legislative in Kenya, Prof David Taye-Doku, Director of Research, Innovation and Consultancy at UCC and Prof Preko, reiterated the importance of FOP.
However, they urged the FDA to stand firm against pushbacks from multinationals who will flex their muscles, drawing importance lessons for low- and middle-income countries.
GNA