INSLA calls on gov't to develop, implement public food procurement policy

The Institute of Leadership and Development (INSLA) has called on government to make a bold commitment to develop and implement a comprehensive National Policy on Public Food Procurement and Services.

This, according to the Institute is to reduce and prevent the incidence of non-communicable diseases resulting from the consumption of unhealthy diets in Ghana.

The call was contained in a press statement issued in Accra on Tuesday and jointly signed by Messrs., Issah Ali and Sulleiman Yahya INSLA's Project Director and Communication Advisor respectively.

The statement added, "This pledge and commitment should be part of government’s position at the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit to be hosted by the Government of Japan in December 202 to be held under the theme ‘Everyone, Everywhere needs good Nutrition to Live a Healthy Productive Life.’"

According to the statement, N4G is a global effort to bring together governments, donors and philanthropists, businesses, Non-Governmental Organisations amongst others to accelerate progress on malnutrition.

The summit will focus on mobilizing new policy and financial commitments to help reverse the impacts of Covid-19 and position nutrition as an essential development issue.

The press release further noted that the series of pledges at N4G has the potential to transform the way the world tackles the global challenge of malnutrition.’

Unhealthy diets are responsible for millions of deaths worldwide. It is a leading risk factor for death and disability, diets that include excess salt, sugars and bad fats kill around 8 million people yearly.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), diets related to non-communicable diseases ( NCDs) account for 42% of total deaths and 31% of disease burden in Ghana. NCDs kill an estimated 86,200 persons in Ghana with 55.5% of them aged less than 70 years. Diet related NCDs are projected to increase due to unhealthy eating lifestyles.

The core principles of a healthy diets public food policies include; limiting the intake of sugars, shift fat consumption away from saturated fats to unsaturated fats, and eliminating industrially produced trans fats. Limit sodium consumption and ensure that salt is iodized, increase consumption of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts and pulses and ensure the availability of free, safe drinking water.

The statement concluded that "the practice of the food industry being allowed to produce and sale any food product at any place is over, that practice has endangered the lives of consumers and that the government must therefore hold the food industry accountable and be regulated."

Institute of Leadership and Development (INSLA) is a non-profit CSO center for the strengthening of leadership capacity and the promotion of development. INSLA’s goal is to stimulate discussions and actions to make humanity and its environment productive, safer and healthier.