Achieving Food System Transformation Through an Inclusive Understanding of Healthy and Unhealthy Food: The Case of Winneba, Ghana

The quest for healthy food consumption has been of much interest to researchers. However, much attention has not been paid to the meanings of healthy and unhealthy food in different contexts. The purpose of this study is to examine the meanings of healthy and unhealthy food from the Ghanaian perspective and also to critically evaluate the future of healthier food practices in Ghana. This chapter will discuss how Ghanaians understand the meaning of healthy food, how healthier food practices in Ghana are perceived, and the factors that are contributing to or preventing the achievement of healthier and more sustainable food system transformation in Ghana. The data for this study were collected using the snowball method of sampling. Eighty-five participants from Winneba (a town in the South of Ghana) filled an online survey through Google Forms. The key findings of this study are that: (1) Healthy or unhealthy food is predominantly understood to be based on how balanced the diet is in terms of nutrition; (2) Healthy or unhealthy food meanings are linked to food hygiene; (3) Participants are pessimistic about a healthier food future due to the increase in the availability of highly processed food and rising food costs. The findings in this study should be used as a starting point to kick start the interest in including a citizens’ perspective in progress towards a healthier and more sustainable food future for Ghana.