A registered public health nutritionist and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK, Prof Francis Zotor, has said that dietary trends in Ghana have shifted significantly from traditional high fibre and low-fat diets to more refined, highly processed, energy-dense, salty, fatty and sweet convenience foods and snacks.  

These trends, according to Prof Francis Zotor are driven by the proliferation of fast-food outlets, influx of multinational food/beverage industries and restaurants, new supermarket retailers and massive fast-food chains. 

Prof Zotor who was speaking at his inaugural lecture at the University of Health and Allied Sciences in Ho on Thursday said, there is a disturbing trend of alteration of healthy indigenous foods, snacks and beverages with high amounts of sugar, fats and food colourings which may be detrimental to one's health.

 "Sadly, Africa’s indigenous foods appear neglected and increasingly replaced by westernized and other foreign diets. More affordable but highly processed foods are more available, and well-advertised and marketed by the food industry with penetration even to the remotest areas of Africa," Prof Francis Zotor said.

He noted that there is a rise in incidence rates of NCDs including cancers which require urgent remedial actions to protect human health. 

"Our conundrum is Africa is vastly rich in natural and mineral resources, why be the “drawers of water and hewers of wood” to her continental neighbours?" he asked. 

Prof Francis noted that, African scientists need to be awake to an African renaissance - a renewed African dietary system based on Ghana's traditional foods reflecting the  identity and for which the nation takes pride, work assiduously to integrate into the food chain, and preserve for future generations to adopt.

He said increased production of indigenous diets and reducing post-harvest losses would make these foods readily available and affordable adding that  people's food choices are influenced by the food environment, hence the need to intensify advocacy for policy implementation such as taxing unhealthy foods.

 He noted that there is  the need to also generate context-specific data on the health benefits of indigenous foods to influence policies, and leverage on existing nutrition policy actions to transform the food environment.

"Furthermore, we need to promote nutrition education on the benefits of indigenous diets, encourage consumption among the younger generation," Prof Zotor said. 

He said the country needs to apply appropriate technology to improve the nutritious value of indigenous diets and enhance their consumption, as the  Food Multimix (FMM) concept provides a solution to address the country’s nutritional challenge. 

Prof Francis Zotor, noted that the concept is a food-based and diversified approach using different foods and employing a proven process to meet energy and micronutrient needs of vulnerable groups and the goal is to improve nutrition in a sustainable and affordable quantity.

He said local product foods should be included in government procurement where people can be convinced of the benefits; traders encouraged to bring these foods into the big city as well as chefs getting involved. 

Despite recent improvement in socio-economic development across Africa, many countries still face undernutrition in children under five, micronutrient deficiencies among women and children, and increasing rates of obesity and nutrition-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Malnutrition particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is further compounded by food insecurity, poor food safety, hygiene and sanitation, environmental degradation and lack of adequate health care.

An estimated 3.2 million children in sub-Saharan Africa die annually from undernutrition and 1 in 3 children are stunted. Globally, at least 340 million children under 5 suffer from micronutrient deficiencies (hidden hunger), 67% of them in West Africa alone.

The average lifetime lost earnings associated with stunting is estimated at US$1400 per child. In Ghana, annual costs of child undernutrition is estimated at GH¢4.6 billion, equivalent to 6.4 % of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita.

The World Bank estimates that an additional US$8.50 per child per year would meet global targets for under-5 child stunting, equivalent to just US$5 billion a year.