Healthier Diets 4 Healthy Lives (HD4HL)

Developing evidence and action toward a double-duty food-based policy bundle to assure healthier diets in Ghana

By 2030, non-communicable diseases are predicted to become the leading cause of death in Africa amidst prevailing challenges of infectious diseases, undernutrition, and micronutrient deficiencies. Unhealthy food environments hinder progress in overcoming this double burden of malnutrition. There is increasing evidence for and recognition of the effectiveness of a set of policies that change consumer food environments and enable more nutritious diets.

This project builds on the evidence and mobilizes multi-stakeholder action toward a policy bundle for healthier and more equitable consumer food environments that reduce the double burden of malnutrition in Ghana, including front-of-pack labelling, marketing restrictions, public food procurement, and fiscal policies. Together, these policies aim to inform and empower; guide and influence; incentivize or discourage consumer action within their food environments.

Critical for achieving these goals is to compile food composition data for processed and packaged foods using a fit-for-purpose nutrient profiling model to underpin the policy package and strengthen the capability of relevant state actors to enforce and monitor compliance with the policies. Working with the Project team at the University of Ghana in support of these policy goals, the Food is Medicine Institute team has advised on the leveraging of available food composition data in the country and the application of Food Compass, a novel nutrient profiling model. 

Aim One

Support the University of Ghana team in the compilation and curation of diverse nutrition composition data across the Ghanaian food supply

Aim Two

Lead the development and validation of an imputation model for missing nutrient composition data across the Ghanaian food supply to prepare all foods for Food Compass scoring

Aim Three

Using the results from Aims 1 &2, support the adaptation and implementation of the Food Compass algorithm to the Ghanaian food environment, nutrient composition data sources, and public health priorities