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Ban sale, marketing of junk foods in schools — UNICEF warns
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has urged governments to ban the sale and marketing of junk foods in schools as obesity overtakes underweight for the first time among school-age children and adolescents.
A new report by the United Nations (UN) agency, Child Nutrition Report 2025, warns that 188 million children aged five to 19 are now living with obesity, a figure that has tripled since 2000.
The report also stated that underweight rates have declined from nearly 13 per cent to 9.2 per cent, while obesity has risen from 3 per cent to 9.4 per cent within the same period.
According to the report, 391 million children and adolescents are overweight, with nearly half of them classified as obese.
The report, titled “Feeding profit: how food environments are failing children”, shows that obesity now exceeds underweight across all regions except sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
In a UNICEF poll of 64,000 young people across 170 countries, 75 per cent stated that they had seen junk food advertisement in the past week, and 60 per cent admitted the advertisements increased their desire to consume such foods.
The report highlights how junk food and sugary drinks dominate children’s diets and are aggressively marketed through shops, schools and digital platforms.
UNICEF further cautioned that obesity dramatically raises the risk of insulin resistance, high blood pressure, type-two diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and could cost countries billions in health expenses.
By 2035, the global economic impact of obesity is expected to surpass $4 trillion annually.
UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell, has, therefore called for mandatory food labelling, restrictions on marketing to children, and stronger social protection measures to ensure vulnerable families can afford healthy diets.
She said ultra-processed food was increasingly replacing fruits, vegetables and protein at a time when nutrition plays a critical role in children’s growth, cognitive development and mental health.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
Member of Parliament for Akuapem North, Sammy Awuku, has expressed deep sorrow following the sudden passing of Isaac Batsa, the constituency secretary for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) lawmaker issued a statement on Tuesday reacting to the news, which has shocked the local political community.
Mr.Awuku praised the late NDC secretary for his bipartisan approach to local governance.
He noted that despite their different political affiliations, Batsa consistently rose above party lines to serve the constituency with diligence.
The MP revealed that the news was particularly shocking given that he had last interacted with Batsa just three days prior on Saturday.
Concluding his statement, Sammy Awuku extended his heartfelt condolences to Batsa’s family, the constituency and regional executives, and the entire NDC fraternity, wishing the deceased peaceful eternal rest.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has petitioned the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps to intervene in what it describes as the unlawful arrest and detention of the Bono Regional Chairman of the party, Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC.
Speaking during the presentation of the petition, NPP Member of Parliament, Jerry Ahmed Shaib accused the government led by John Dramani Mahama of promoting what he described as a “culture of silence.”
According to him, the continued detention of Abronye DC over a bailable offence was unacceptable and against the principles of justice.
He argued that keeping an accused person in custody until a matter is fully determined was not common practice in democratic states.
“It can only happen in a kangaroo or banana state,” he stated.
Mr. Shaib further alleged that state institutions were being influenced to intimidate political opponents.
He maintained that the criminal libel law had long been repealed in Ghana and questioned why individuals were allegedly being targeted over comments on national issues.
According to him, citizens should not be arrested simply for expressing views, including claims that power outages, popularly known as “dumsor,” had returned.
The lawmaker also accused the presiding judge in the matter of showing bias and claimed the court had failed to indicate when Abronye DC would reappear or be released.
He explained that the NPP deliberately chose a peaceful approach in presenting the petition to the diplomatic community instead of organising demonstrations.
Mr. Shaib noted that the delegation was acting on the instructions of the party leadership, including the Minority Leader, the General Secretary, the National Organiser, and former Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia.
He called on the diplomatic community and ambassadors in the country to engage the Ghanaian authorities and ensure that justice and human rights were upheld.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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