The United Nations has raised concern over weaknesses in Ghana’s food production system, describing them as worrying lapses that threaten both livelihoods and lives.

Speaking at the 45th World Food Day celebration in Accra on Thursday, October 16, 2025, the UN Resident Coordinator in Ghana, Zia Choudhury, said his personal observations of the country’s food value chain revealed troubling conditions hidden behind the meals many Ghanaians enjoy daily.

Mr. Choudhury observed that several challenges persist across the food production process — from farming to processing — directly affecting the health and income of those involved.

“I saw that the women who smoke food are suffering from respiratory illnesses because they spend long hours in smoky environments. The farmers producing the yams we enjoy in Accra are receiving very low prices — not because that is the true market value, but because they have nowhere to store their produce,” he lamented.

He stressed the need for targeted interventions to improve food safety, strengthen support for smallholder farmers, and protect the welfare of workers in the agricultural value chain.