Some selected journalists have been trained on the Healthy Lives for Healthy Diets (HD4HL) project as part of its awareness creation strategy.
The project seeks to build evidence and mobilize multi-stakeholder actions toward a policy bundle for healthier and more equitable consumer food environments that reduce the double burden of malnutrition.
Generally, the project objectives are to develop, validate, and build consensus for a fit-for-local-purpose nutrient profiling system that allows for open, transparent categorization of foods and the determination of how policies will apply to locally available foods in Ghana. And also generate and synthesize gender-responsive evidence on the impacts of policy actions aimed at equitably shifting the relative price, availability, procurement and marketing of healthy and unhealthy foods.
It is also expected to facilitate understanding of pathways for effective policy adoption, implementation and monitoring of outcomes for changing consumer food environments. And mobilize and strengthen the capacity of a coalition of public, private and social sector stakeholders critical to the effective development and implementation of evidence-based food environment policies. It will also strengthen collaboration and sharing of evidence and experience regionally in order to set food policy standards for African nations that may be followed or improved upon.
The Executive Director of Operations of the Coalition the Coalition of Actors for Public Health Advocacy (CAPHA), the civil society group leading the advocacy, Dr. Kassim Abdulai, explained that, if governments implement comprehensive policy measures that regulate retail, restrict inappropriate claims for health made for food, sets targets for composition of processed foods in terms of healthy and unhealthy ingredients; restricts the ability of businesses to promote unhealthy foods; have schools implement clear and consistent policies on healthy food provision, disincentivizes consumption of unhealthy foods (through taxes and tariffs), incentivize consumption of healthy foods (through subsidies), and ensures that public procurements of foods favour healthy foods, then food environment actors will make strategic choices that negate the import, production, processing, retail and/or marketing of unhealthy foods o Leading to reduced availability, accessibility, and consumption of unhealthy foods.
He explained that unhealthy food environments hinder progress in overcoming this double burden of malnutrition. There is increasing evidence for and recognition of the effectiveness of a set of policies that change consumer food environments and enable more nutritious diets.
Food systems and public health experts, including the World Health Organization, refer to them as “Best Buys” for their cost-effectiveness and feasibility for combating the double burden of malnutrition in low- and middle-income countries,” he noted.
These policies, according to him, aim to inform and empower; guide and influence; incentivize or discourage consumer action within their food environments. Globally, an increasing number of countries are implementing these policies, including few countries from Africa.
Madam Juliet Boateng of the Ghana NCD Alliance, speaking on food labelling, advocated for front of pack food labelling where simplified nutrition information are kept on the front of food packages to help consumers with their food choices.
She explained that this helps consumers to see at a glance the essential nutrition information when purchasing foods.
The Healthy Lives for Healthy Diets (HD4HL) Project will be delivered through four work packages, which encompasses different objectives and activities in the Project.
This project is expected to develop and implement public health policy to assure healthier diets and health.
The anticipated project outcomes include a fit-for-local purpose nutrient profiling model to guide food and nutrition-related policies, resources such project briefs, advocacy briefs, policy briefs for use by diverse actors toward developing food-related interventions and policies, and a mutually reinforcing policy bundle (including front of pack labelling, marketing restrictions, public food procurement, and fiscal policies), among others.
The project is being jointly implemented by the Academia, Government Agencies, and Civil Society including the University of Ghana, Food and Drugs Authority, Ministry of Health, National Development Commission and the Coalition of Actors for Public Health Advocacy.
