Nutritionist Professor Anna Lartey has raised concerns about Ghana’s persistent food insecurity and nutrition challenges, disclosing that 65 per cent of Ghanaians cannot afford a healthy diet, while 43.5 per cent face moderate to severe food insecurity. She warned that poor dietary quality was negatively affecting nutrition, academic performance, productivity and long-term economic growth, and called for urgent reforms to make nutritious food more accessible and affordable.
Speaking at the 2026 World Food Day commemoration in Accra, Prof. Lartey urged stakeholders to transform Ghana’s food systems, with particular emphasis on the cost of nutritious food and the difficulties confronting rural communities. She noted that rural populations continued to experience a disproportionate burden of food insecurity, while the inability of many households to afford healthy meals remained a major obstacle to improving the country’s nutrition outcomes.
“The diet quality still remains a concern. We are failing not only on our nutrition, but we are also undermining school performance, productivity, and long-term economic growth,” she cautioned. Prof. Lartey called on the government to turn Ghana’s commitments under the 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit into concrete actions to strengthen food security and improve nutrition nationwide.
She proposed several interventions, including developing food-based dietary guidelines to encourage healthier eating habits, boosting the production of fruits and vegetables, and implementing measures to minimise food losses. She also advocated increased investment in indigenous foods, urging the government and relevant stakeholders to support their cultivation and promote their consumption. According to her, indigenous foods offer nutritious, affordable and climate-resilient alternatives that could improve access to healthy diets across the country.
Additionally, Prof. Lartey highlighted the need for research and innovation to tackle food waste, particularly in situations where nutritious food is discarded while vulnerable households struggle to obtain adequate meals. “A system that discards nutritious food while farmers and children’s families go hungry is a broken system,” she stated.
An official of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Ayman Omer, said the organisation was collaborating with Ghanaian authorities to address barriers to the development of the country’s food systems. The Director of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Professor Dorothy Yeboah Manu, reaffirmed the institute’s commitment to working with organisations in the food sector to develop innovative solutions that place nutrition at the centre of their efforts.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Ghana, Zia Choudhury, praised organisations that participated in the food exhibition for highlighting the richness and diversity of indigenous Ghanaian cuisine. The event, organised by the FAO and hosted by the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, brought together several organisations, including the Ghana Food Movement, Food for All Africa, the Ghana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Blue Skies and the Ghana School Feeding Programme.
Held under the theme “Innovate Today. Nourish Tomorrow,” the celebration featured a dialogue session, a cooking competition for young Ghanaian chefs, a UN leaders’ kitchen experience, and discussions on Ghanaian cuisine and sustainable agrifood systems. The commemoration highlighted the need for coordinated action, innovation and investment to build a more inclusive and sustainable food system that ensures all Ghanaians can access nutritious and affordable food.
