Concerns about unwholesome packaged food in Ghana: the case of Mampong municipality

Abstract

Concerns about the flow of low quality and unwholesome packaged products into the Ghanaian food markets have triggered national discourse on effectiveness of food safety measures. Given the huge task involved and the complexity of the food distribution system, government and other stakeholders have increased their awareness campaigns through the mainstream media urging consumers to be vigilant. The study applies logistic model to analyse the demographic and socio-economic factors that explain consumers’ levels of concerns about quality standards of packaged foods following the nationwide campaigns to draw implications on depth of awareness outreach of such campaigns. Levels of education, place of residence, access to food safety information and income levels statistically explain consumers concerns about food safety standards. This indicates that the poor and more deprived consumers are the most likely to suffer from unwholesome foods. These results imply that mainstream media campaigns are less effective in depth of outreach.