A public education float was held in Cape Coast on Wednesday to advocate for mandatory Front-of-Pack Warning Labelling (FOPWL) for processed foods. The event, organised by SEND-Ghana and the Department of Food and Nutrition of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), aimed to raise public awareness of the health risks associated with excessive consumption of sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats. Participants marched through nearby communities, distributing flyers containing information on FOPWL.
The campaign, themed “Your food may be hiding too much sugar, salt or fat,” featured placards with messages such as “Four million Ghanaians have diabetes, we need food warning labels” and “What’s in your food? Every Ghanaian deserves healthy food.” Many residents welcomed the campaign, receiving flyers and engaging with participants on the importance of checking nutritional content before making purchases. The campaign seeks to promote healthier food choices and protect consumers from misleading nutrition information.
FOPWL refers to clear and easy-to-understand nutrition warnings displayed prominently on packaged foods to alert consumers of excessive amounts of nutrients like sugar, salt, or unhealthy fats. Unlike detailed nutrition panels, front-of-pack warnings enable consumers to make informed choices quickly. Ms Joana Ankomaa Addey, Communication Officer of SEND-Ghana, emphasised that mandatory FOPWL would help consumers, particularly vulnerable groups, identify products high in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats.
The campaign also aims to urge the Government to introduce a mandatory and standardised warning-label policy for processed foods. Currently, Ghana’s food-labelling requirements provide for the labelling of pre-packaged foods, but nutrition information and FOPWL remain major issues in public-health advocacy. Ms Addey noted that Ghana has 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 non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and kidney disease, the Government has not implemented a mandatory FOPWL policy. Ms Addey called on the Government to fast-track the development and implementation of such a policy to help consumers make healthier 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 supported the campaign.
Mr Smart emphasised that front-of-pack labels would enable shoppers to quickly identify “high in” products, empowering them to make healthier choices without requiring technical knowledge of nutrition. This, he added, would help curb the growing burden of NCDs on individuals, families, the healthcare system, and the nation. The campaign seeks to make nutritional information on packaged foods clearer and easier to understand.
The public education float was part of a broader effort to promote public awareness and advocate for policy change. The collaboration between SEND-Ghana and UCC students demonstrates the importance of partnerships in promoting public health and advocating for policy change. The campaign will continue to engage the public and stakeholders in the quest for mandatory FOPWL.
Key points
- The campaign aims to introduce mandatory Front-of-Pack Warning Labelling (FOPWL) for processed foods in Ghana.
- Ghana currently has no operational policy requiring simple and standardised front-of-pack warning labels for products high in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats.
- The campaign seeks to promote healthier food choices, protect consumers from misleading nutrition information, and urge the Government to introduce a mandatory warning-label policy.
