Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL) recently partnered with Ethiopia’s Ministry of Tourism to equip chefs and hospitality professionals with practical skills to prepare healthier meals.
The workshops, held in Addis Ababa, Bishoftu, and Adama, brought together 212 senior and head chefs, kitchen supervisors, and members of the Ethiopian Chefs Association. Participants explored the links between unhealthy diets and NCDs and learned practical approaches to reducing salt, sugar, saturated and trans fats, and partially hydrogenated oils in recipes and menus.
The trainings are part of broader efforts to promote healthier food environments and address the growing burden of diet-related noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in Ethiopia.
Through hands-on exercises, participants assessed ingredients and existing menus and identified ways to incorporate more vegetables, legumes, whole grains and reduce reliance on packaged products used in day-to-day kitchen services without compromising the taste and quality customers expect. The sessions also highlighted Ethiopia’s traditional foods as nutritious alternatives to many packaged and ultra-processed food products.
Speaking at the workshop in Addis Ababa, RTSL Ethiopia Country Director, Girma Dessie, noted the influence chefs have over what people eat and the important role they can play in NCD prevention. He said, “The same plate that can cause disease can also prevent it. The person with that power is the chef.” He encouraged participants to use that influence to make healthier choices more available to consumers and to support Ethiopia’s efforts to reduce the burden of diet-related diseases.
Following the workshops, participants are expected to champion healthier cooking practices within their workplaces and share the knowledge gained with their colleagues, subordinates, helping to increase the availability of healthier food choices in restaurants, hotels, and other food service settings in Ethiopia.
RTSL remains committed to supporting government-led efforts to create healthier food environments and reduce the burden of diet-related noncommunicable diseases in Ethiopia through evidence-based policies, interventions, and partnerships that reduce excessive sodium consumption, eliminate industrially produced trans fats, and improve access to healthier foods.
