Food Influencer Calls for Better Packaging of Indigenous Ghanaian Foods

By: Solomon Nartey Tetteh

Food Influencer William Nana Kyei has expressed concern over what he describes as Ghana’s long-standing failure to properly document, package, and promote its indigenous foods. Speaking on the Business Breakfast show on Zed 101.9FM, Mr. Kyei said Ghana risks losing the visibility of many traditional delicacies if deliberate steps are not taken to preserve and commercialise them.

Drawing from his experience living in South Korea, Nana Kyei noted that the Asian country has mastered the art of transforming local street foods into neatly packaged products available in both markets and convenience stores.

He revealed that even simple foods such as “kanzo”, the slightly burnt bottom of cooked rice are dried, repackaged, and sold on supermarket shelves.

“Can you imagine that in South Korea, they even sell “kanzo”. It’s dried, crunchy, and packaged neatly. That this level of innovation is what gives South Korean cuisine global visibility,” he said.

According to him, the challenge in Ghana is not the lack of rich culinary heritage but the absence of proper documentation and modern packaging approaches.

Mr. Kyei said the increasing rarity of certain traditional foods, citing examples such as “nkyekyerewa, aweyesu, and achomo, which he said are becoming difficult to find even in areas where they were once common.

“There are foods I grew up knowing, but today you can hardly locate them on the streets,” he added.

The Influencer further highlighted the case of Ghana’s traditional puff- puff known as “bofrot”, which comes in several varieties but has not been fully explored or branded to appeal to wider markets both locally and internationally.

“We have crunchy types, smooth ones, and many other variations. But as a country, we haven’t packaged or marketed them well,” he stressed.

He called for a national effort involving food entrepreneurs, cultural institutions, and local authorities to document indigenous recipes, improve packaging standards, and showcase the diversity of Ghanaian cuisine.

According to him, such initiatives would not only preserve cultural identity but also open new economic opportunities in the food and tourism sectors.