Ghana needs regulation on front-of-pack labelling of salt content in food – GhNCDA

The Ghana NCD Alliance (GhNCDA) has urged the government to come out with a regulation relating to the implementation of front-of-pack labelling of salt content in food products to help reduce non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

It said a voluntary global goal to reduce salt consumption by 30 percent by 2025 has been set, and the World Health Organisation has selected this as the “best buy” method to lower the long-term risk of stroke, coronary artery disease, and early mortality from NCDs.

“International best practice policies, recommendations, and treatments have been designed with this goal in mind, but Ghana has not yet implemented such salt reduction policies. There is no regulation or policy relating to the implementation of front-of-pack labelling of salt content,” it noted.

This was contained in a report on the National NCD Response and Landscape in Ghana developed by GhNCDA together with other civil society actors as part of their partnership with the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation.

It stated: “One in ten fatalities from cardiovascular disease is linked to excessive salt intake, which is a well-known primary risk factor for elevated blood pressure, and it also leads to cardiovascular-related disability and early death worldwide.”

The report called on the Ghana Education Service to bring back physical education into the educational system to reduce childhood obesity to save the lives of children in the country.

It noted that physical education was one of the curricula which in the past has helped in minimising the effect of obesity and NCDs among children.

It urged the government to make available adequate facilities to implement a whole-of-school programme that would include quality physical activities.