Professor Lydia Aziato, Vice Chancellor of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) has underscored the importance of dismantling socio-cultural barriers to quality nutrition in communities. She emphasized that entrenched cultural beliefs and practices often hinder access to nutritious food sources, urging stakeholders to work together to dispel such food myths.
Speaking at the opening of a three-day workshop on nutrition reporting for media practitioners in the Volta Region, organized by Africa Catalysing Action for Nutrition (AfriCan), Prof Aziato called on the media to play a pivotal role in efforts to challenge food taboos and misconceptions. She stressed the need for the training initiative to equip journalists with the tools to effectively communicate about nutrition and debunk common myths.
Prof Aziato highlighted the importance of quality foods and nutrition in preventing generational diseases and commended AfriCan for providing the training opportunity. She urged the media to promote sustainable agriculture, guide food processing, and encourage nutritious preparation methods.
Madam Catherine Adu-Asare, Programmes Manager of the Diet and Healthy Life Program of the Ghana Health Service, who facilitated the training, emphasized the changing nutrition landscape and the media's role in advocating for a return to traditional food sources. She highlighted the increasing prevalence of lifestyle diseases linked to the consumption of ultra-processed foods and stressed the need to address the impact of food taboos on nutrition deficiency.
The workshop, which benefited 25 media practitioners, covered various aspects of nutrition and provided practical approaches for reporting on the subject. Professor Francis Zotor, Trustee of AfriCan, emphasized the media's potential to lead efforts for enhanced nutrition in communities and reiterated the organization's commitment to collaborating with stakeholders to achieve positive outcomes.
