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Mr Emmanuel Fiagbey, the Executive Director of Communication Initiatives for Change (CIC), a non-profit organisation, has urged Ghanaians to consciously reduce their meat consumption as a vital step towards sustainable living.
Speaking at the commemoration of the World Earth Month at the University of Ghana, Mr Fiagbey called on the public to adopt a “eat meat once a week” culture to improve their personal health.
The event, aimed at examining how food choices, particularly red and white meat, impact health, the environment, and the climate, was on the theme: ‘’Managing Food Waste to Save the Environment – Our Earth.”
He highlighted the need to improve personal health and lower the risk of non-communicable diseases, notably diabetes and stroke.
“It has been scientifically proven that excessive meat intake places undue pressure on the kidneys,” Mr Fiagbey said, emphasising the consumption of sustainable foods like fruits and vegetables.
“Reducing meat consumption is intended to help us protect ourselves from certain non-communicable diseases, most especially diabetes, heart disease, kidney stones, obesity, and some cancers.”
He cited recent studies by the University of Cape Coast, Bielefeld University (Germany), the University of Queensland (Australia), and the Ghana Education Service, which revealed that only 27.8 per cent of Ghanaian youth consume sufficient fruits and vegetables.
“This is in contrast to South Africa at 68 per cent, Uganda at 87.8 per cent, Nigeria at 73 per cent, and Kenya at 94 per cent,” he said.
The statistics indicate a concerning trend of unhealthy eating habits among Ghanaian youth, where meat was prioritised over fruits and vegetables, Mr Fiagbey said.
He noted that the carbon footprint associated with producing one pound of meat posed a significant environmental threat.
“Consequently, CIC’s ‘Meatless Monday’ initiative focuses on environmental preservation and raising awareness about the importance of protecting the Earth,” he said.
“The Meatless Monday encourages the consumption of more sustainable foods, reduces food waste by promoting longer food preservation, and fosters a culture of composting food waste.”
Meatless Monday is a global campaign that encourages individuals to improve their health by abstaining from meat one day each week.
Professor Marian Asantewah Nkansah, Environmental Chemist, shared insights on the broader interventions and strategies to adopt to make use of wasted food.
She emphasised on converting food waste into compost, repurposed as animal feed, or even processed into biogas, offering a sustainable solution to reducing waste.
“You can have a farm or a backyard where excess food goes into. You can dig a hole create your own composite and set up your own farm,” she said.
