Ghana’s progress toward achieving its food system transformation targets is falling behind schedule, as experts warn that the country’s current food environment is making healthy eating increasingly difficult and costly for the average citizen.
This concern was highlighted at a sensitisation workshop in Accra titled “Beyond the Dialogues: Tracking Ghana’s Commitments to Transform its Food Systems”, where researchers from the University of Ghana School of Public Health revealed that the commitments Ghana made in 2021 may be at risk unless urgent corrective actions are taken.
Prof. Anna Lartey, Professor of Nutrition and Co–Principal Investigator of the tracking project, said the country’s food environment is working against its own health and nutrition goals. She noted that although Ghana pledged to ensure sustainable, healthy diets for its citizens, the reality on the ground shows a widening gap between policy aspirations and lived experiences.
According to her, up to 65 per cent of adult Ghanaians cannot afford a healthy diet daily, a situation she described as a major setback for national health outcomes and food system reforms. She stressed that healthy foods — particularly fruits and vegetables — remain expensive and less accessible, while cheap, unhealthy options dominate streets and markets.
Prof. Lartey cautioned that the prevalence of ultra-processed and sugar-heavy foods is worsening the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), undermining the country’s goal of promoting healthier living conditions.
“We have talked enough. What we need now is concrete action. Ghana made very clear commitments, and we must demonstrate progress,” she emphasized.
Providing an overview of the monitoring project, Principal Investigator Prof. Amos Laar explained that the initiative uses a science-based approach to track how well Ghana is delivering on its 17 food systems commitments, which include improving breastfeeding rates, strengthening nutrition policies, and creating healthier food environments.
With over 160 UN Member States having signed the 2030 global food systems transformation pact, Prof. Laar stressed that Ghana must accelerate efforts to meet its own 2025 targets.
The workshop brought together ministries, agencies, civil society groups, and other stakeholders to review progress and identify gaps that continue to obstruct healthier food choices for the population.
Experts at the forum agreed that unless Ghana reshapes its food environment through stronger regulation, improved agricultural investments, and public education, the country risks a future of rising preventable diseases and missed global health targets.
