Nestle Urges Media To Educate Public On Good Eating Habit
Story By: Jamila Wahab
Nestle Ghana Limited, producers of food products , have urged the media to use their platforms to educate the public to adopt good healthy eating habit.
The call, is also for the media to lead the advocacy on good nutrition with the aim of alleviating hunger and malnutrition in line with the United Nations Sustainable Goals.
Setting the agenda towards realizing this call on the media, a Professor at the University Of Ghana’s Nutrition and Food Science Department, Prof. Mrs. Matilda Steiner Asiedu reiterated the need for healthy eating habit and alleviating hunger.
Speaking at a day’s workshop at the African Regent Hotel in Accra, Mrs. Matilda Steiner Asiedu, a Professor at University of Ghana’s Nutrition and Food Science Department, Mrs said good healthy eating is the key to alleviate hunger and malnutrition.
Prof.Steiner Asiedu who was speaking at a day’s worship in Accra further explained the other forms of hunger when she said the inability of an individual to meet nutritional needs is a hidden hunger.
“This is also a condition in which a person, for a sustained period, is unable to eat sufficient food to meet basic nutritional needs in terms of both macro- and micron nutrient”, she noted.
Lack of proper nutrition which is caused by not having enough to eat and the right things , according to her is usually associated with poverty, poor maternal health, and poor maternal nutrition.
” it is high time we advocate to go back to our root and be self discipline in our intake of food”, she stressed.
“You’re what you eat and food safety is the assurance that the food will not cause harm to you the consumer when it’s prepared and eaten according to its intended purpose devoid of food hazards”, she added.
“This would contribute towards the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on Nutrition”, she noted.
The workshop was on the theme: “Inspiring better nutrition: the role of the media”. And was Organized by Nestlé Ghana Ltd together with the Ghana Journalists Association, (GJA).
Prof. Steiner-Asiedu also warned the public on indiscriminate eating, said it can affect their health and wellbeing which is pre-disposes individuals and can contribute to obesity.
She emphasised on the need to eating good food such as the carbohydrates and Lipids, saying it is the energy giving foods which are derived from cereals, starchy roots and tubers ,fats and oil.
According Mrs. Asiedu, it is very important to consider the environment in which these food are sold as well as those selling because it is only when one is aware of these elements that is when they are guaranteed of their safety.
” Increased food safety, nutrition education for healthy choices, increased dietary diversity, food supplementation and food fortifications are crucial in meeting important components of good diet”,Prof Steiner Asiedu stressed.
Speaking at the workshop was the Quality Assurance Manager of Nestle Ghana Limited, Mr. Raphael Sitsofe Kuwornu who said that Nestle Ghana have systems in place to ensure reliability of results in Nestle to deliver quality”.
“ Nestle always focuses on getting things right to prevent crisis and also opens for external assessment”, he reiterated .
” We hold ourselves to a very high standard and have a robust food safety management system “, Mr. Sitsofe added.
The Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Manager in Charge of Coastal Cluster (Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone)Ms. Deborah Kwablah said Nestle Ghana Limited holds itself to quality standards and will always continue to uphold this standard in their processing and deliveries.
According to Ms. Kwablah Nestle Ghana is working hand in hand with the farmers to ensure that yield is improve and also have a sustainable food system.
Source: www.thenewindependentonline.com
