A nutritionist, Professor Anna Lartey, says Ghana should invest more in indigenous foods to make healthy eating affordable, describing them as nutritious, affordable and resilient to climate change.
She urged the government and other stakeholders to promote the cultivation and consumption of these foods, arguing that relying on them more could widen access to healthy diets.
The call comes as many households struggle to eat well. Prof Lartey said 65 percent of Ghanaians cannot afford a healthy diet, while 43.5 per cent experience moderate to severe food insecurity.
Rural communities carry the heavier burden, she said, and households’ inability to afford healthy food remains a major obstacle to better nutrition.
“The diet quality still remains a concern. We are failing not only on our nutrition, but we are also undermining school performance, productivity, and long-term economic growth,” she cautioned.
Indigenous foods are one part of a wider plan Prof Lartey proposed which also included food-based dietary guidelines to promote healthy eating, higher production of fruits and vegetables, and measures to reduce food losses.
She asked the government to turn Ghana’s commitments under the 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit into practical interventions.
She also called for research and innovation to tackle food waste, particularly where nutritious food is discarded while vulnerable households struggle to meet their dietary needs.
“A system that discards nutritious food while farmers and children’s families go hungry is a broken system,” she said.
Prof Lartey was speaking at the 2026 World Food Day commemoration in Accra, organised by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and hosted by the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research.
Held under the theme “Innovate Today. Nourish Tomorrow”, the event included a food exhibition, a dialogue session, a cooking competition for young Ghanaian chefs and a UN leaders’ kitchen experience.
The UN Resident Coordinator in Ghana, Zia Choudhury, commended the organisations at the exhibition for showcasing the diversity of indigenous Ghanaian foods. They included the Ghana Food Movement, Food for All Africa, the Ghana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Blue Skies and the Ghana School Feeding Programme.
An FAO official, Ayman Omer, said the organisation is working with Ghanaian authorities to address challenges affecting the development of the country’s food systems.
The Director of the Noguchi Memorial Institute, Professor Dorothy Yeboah Manu, said the institute would keep collaborating with food-related organisations to develop innovative approaches that put nutrition first.
Source: adomonline.com
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