Global estimates show over half a billion people go hungry (FAO, 2020) and close to 2 billion people are either obese or overweight with another 2 billion of the world’s population suffering from micronutrient deficiencies (Micha et al., 2020, Fresco et al., 2017). Inarguably, the world faces significant malnutrition problem (including micro- and macro-nutrient deficiencies, obesity, and diet related non-communicable diseases). This is evident in a recent analysis pointing out that effort in achieving the Global Nutrition Targets is likely to be missed. The observed malnutrition threat is accompanied by climate change, which is influencing food production and consumption trends, and thereby leading to undernutrition and affecting overall development. In addition, there are growing incomes, accelerated urbanization, and expanding middle classes which are also causing significant changes in consumer behaviour and nutritional choices, necessitating both public and private expenditures for better food market integration. As a result, there is a pressing need to examine our food systems to guarantee food and nutrition security and to advance sustainable development. It is likely that the COVID-19 impact may further exacerbates the worsening food insecurity and nutritional status of the most vulnerable groups including women, children and adolescents, refugees and displaced people, smallholders in rural areas, and the urban poor. For the Sub-Sahara African region, the situation looks very scary and poses serious ramifications for sustainable development and public health. Rising inequality and income disparity have contributed to a proportion of 27.4% people living in extreme food insecurity in 2016 (FAO, 2017). Since 2014, there has been a growth in the number of people experiencing hunger from 47.9million to 256.1million in 2018 (FAO et al., 2020). At the same time, about 240 million people, particularly rural dwellers are malnourished (FAO, 2017), with 58.8% of the global stunted children living in Africa (FAO et al., 2020). Also, studies indicate a growing trend of NCDs and its dominance over all other causes of death in Africa by 2030 (GBD Obesity Collaborators, 2017; NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, 2016). Currently, experiencing a surge in obesity and other diet related NCDs while undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies persist, Africa faces a new challenge of the coexistence of a double burden of malnutrition. In Ghana for instance, about 33% of women of reproductive age are anemic which begins the vicious cycle of undernutrition in children, jeopardizing the achievement of the Zero Hunger Goal by 2030. Like other countries in the sub-region particularly West African economies, Ghana is grappling with multiple burdens of malnutrition. While food insecurity, and undernutrition (e.g. stunting, micronutrient deficiencies) persist, obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases are rising rapidly. General nutrition situation and identification of the highest priority nutrition problems. Various estimates of nutritional status of Ghanaian children under aged 5 years show that 19% were stunted, 5% were wasted, and 11% were underweight (GSS et al., 2015). In 2018, the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) (GSS et al 2012) showed nearly similar rates of stunting (18%), wasting (7%) and underweight (13%), suggesting that stunting prevalence improved only marginally during the last 5-6 years, whereas child wasting and underweight worsened during the period. Other significant problems of undernutrition in Ghana include a high prevalence anemia in children 6-59 months (55%), adolescent girls (48%) and women of reproductive age (42%). From the foregoing, the high priority nutrition challenges in Ghana, include “stunting and wasting in children under 5 years of age; anemia in children 6-59 months of age, adolescent girls, and women of reproductive age; but also, overweight and obesity in school-age children and younger adolescents; and overweight and obesity in women of reproductive age (15-49 y of age). Report of the Demographic and Health Surveys show a significant rising trend in adult obesity – from 10% in 1993 to in 40% in 2015 (GSS et al., 2015). Also, the Ghanaian food environments (particularly in the urban areas) is currently characterized by cheap highly processed foods, with nutrient-dense foods such fruits and vegetables lacking in meals because it is unaffordable (Laar, 2021; Laar et al., 2020). 4 Addressing these issues to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs) requires using multifaceted strategies to combat the high and rising burden of malnutrition in all of its forms. Malnutrition is a multidimensional and cross-sectoral problem, necessitating the relevant and adequate participation of multiple players, stakeholders, and sectors in the food system. For instance, a nutritious food, along with adequate hygiene and healthcare, contribute to good nutrition. Decent employment, education and transportation and connectivity to functioning, resilient, sustainable food systems are important drivers to access to healthy foods (HLPE, 2017). Improved hygiene and healthcare can be necessitated by education, income, and transport, combined with quality health provision, access to clean water, and proper sanitation. Therefore, a food systems approach would be necessary to address these causes of malnutrition. The concept of the "food system" includes all activities involved in the production, processing, marketing, consumption, and disposal of items derived from agriculture, forestry, or fisheries, as well as the inputs required, and the outputs produced at each of these processes (HLPE, 2017). Food systems also include the individuals and organizations that promote or obstruct systemic change as well as the sociopolitical, economic, and technological surroundings in which these actions occur (HLPE 2017). The associated drivers and supply chains of the food systems influence the food environments where people make dietary decisions.