Fast Food in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana: Characteristics, Availability and the Cuisine Concept

Abstract

Fast food has been extensively debated but most studies have focused on one or two of its characteristics. Using the cuisine concept, we propose a more comprehensive approach to the study of fast food characteristics and availability, while taking cultural context into account. The objectives of this paper are to explore the usefulness of the cuisine concept and to provide some insight into fast food characteristics and its availability in the Greater Accra Region (GAR) of Ghana. We used quantitative and qualitative approaches to obtaine data from restaurateurs and consumers in GAR. The study showed that fast food in GAR comprised “globally recognized popular fast foods” including French fries, pizzas, and fried rice, and some traditional Ghanaian foods such as jollof rice, banku with tilapia, and kelewele. The foods, usually hot and spicy, were mainly obtained from restaurants and check-check vendors, eaten with cutlery, fingers or both, together with a drink, and mostly in the company of other people. In total, 68% of restaurants in GAR were fast food restaurants. The cuisine concept enabled us to explore more fast food characteristics than what were done in previous studies. The availability of fast foods signals the need for more research to improve our understanding of its contribution to food security and its link with health, culture and environment. We encourage researchers to explore the cuisine concept and identify new significant research questions for advancing the field of food studies.