Food environment benchmarking of policies to prevent nutrition-related non-communicable diseases in Ghana

This study assessed government action, implementation gaps, and priorities to improve the healthiness of food environments (FE) in Ghana. Using the Healthy Food-Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI), a panel (n=19) of government and independent experts rated the extent of government action to improve the healthiness of FE in Ghana against international best practices and according to steps within a policy cycle. The Food-EPI tool used was based on that developed by the International Network for Food and Obesity/NCDs Research Monitoring and Action Support (INFORMAS- https://www.informas.org/food-epi/). 44 practice indicators of FE policy and infrastructure support were used. Ratings were informed by documented evidence, validated by government officials. Following the rating exercise, the experts proposed and prioritized actions for implementation by the Ghanaian government. Two documents are provided: 1. Technical report of evidence of policy action 2. Flowchart of policy mapping