MoH, SEND Ghana call for Warning Labels as Childhood Obesity, NCDs rise

The Ministry of Health (MoH) and SEND Ghana have called for stronger measures to help children and young people make healthier food choices as unhealthy diets contribute to rising concerns over childhood obesity and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

The Director of Technical Coordination at the Ministry, Dr Hafiz Adam Taher, said unhealthy diets and lifestyles were contributing to the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), making prevention increasingly important.

“We are detecting early obesity in children. Even now, young adults are hypertensive,” he said.

Dr Taher was speaking in Accra on behalf of the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, at the launch of a mass media campaign on Front-of-Pack Warning Labelling (FOPWL).

The campaign, organised by SEND Ghana and its partners, seek to raise public awareness of the health risks associated with excessive consumption of foods high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats and mobilise support for mandatory warning labels on packaged foods.

Dr Taher said eating habits developed during childhood and adolescence could influence health throughout a person’s life.

He expressed concern that parents sometimes used sweets to entice children, exposing them to high levels of sugar from an early age.

“We have to carry our children and young people to understand that food is not simply about satisfying hunger. It is also providing nutrients needed for growth, learning, energy and development,” he said.

He said FOPWL would make important nutritional information more visible and easier for consumers to understand when making purchasing decisions.

Dr Taher, however, said warning labels alone would not address the NCD burden and should be complemented by nutrition education, physical activity, supportive schools and workplaces and a healthier food environment.

He said the media also had an important role in translating technical nutrition information into messages that ordinary Ghanaians could understand and apply.

SEND Ghana

The Country Director of SEND Ghana, Harriet Agyemang, for her part, said the campaign was necessary as NCDs continued to place a significant health, financial and emotional burden on Ghanaian families.

She shared the experience of a staff member whose mother had been diagnosed with diabetes and whose father later suffered a stroke and was diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension and dementia.

Ms Agyemang said the staff member frequently had to leave work to care for her father, resulting in emotional and financial strain.

She said such experiences were not isolated, as many families were caring for relatives living with chronic conditions.

“The rising incidence of diabetes, hypertension, stroke, cancer, etc, is taking a toll on many of us,” she said.

Ms Agyemang said poor diet was one of the major contributors to NCDs, with foods high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats readily available in shops, schools, markets, lorry stations, workplaces and other public spaces.

She said consumers were often exposed to such foods without having simple and clear information to guide their choices.

She explained that FOPWL would help consumers quickly identify unhealthy packaged foods and make more informed choices.

SEND Ghana, together with Vision for Accelerated Sustainable Development (VAST) and the Ghana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, has supported efforts by the Ministry of Health, FDA, civil society and other stakeholders towards the introduction of FOPWL since 2025.

Ms Agyemang said the campaign was not only about labels, but about saving lives, reducing healthcare costs and securing a healthier future for Ghana.

Presenting the mass media campaign, SEND Ghana representative, Mohammed Nurudeen Salifu said it would target the general public, with particular emphasis on parents and young people.

He said the campaign sought to raise awareness about the health risks associated with overconsumption of foods containing excessive sugar, salt and unhealthy fats, while mobilising public support for mandatory FOPWL.

He said parents were particularly important because they largely determine what children eat at home, while young people needed to understand that NCDs were not diseases exclusively associated with old age.

The campaign will run from September to November, with messages delivered in English and selected local languages.

Mr Salifu said television public service announcements, radio messages, newspaper content, social media and billboards would form the main media mix.

Digital platforms to be used include YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, while billboards will be placed in major cities including Accra, Tamale, Kumasi, Takoradi and Cape Coast. He said radio was particularly important for reaching communities in local languages.

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