A case study on the food retail environment of Accra, Ghana

The increased presence of modern/Western style food retail outlets is changing the food retail environment in many developing countries. This phenomenon, known as “supermarketization,” is just recently taking off in Sub-Saharan Africa. Through a case study methodology, this research uses direct observation, retailer interviews, mapping, a food retail assessment and household surveys, first to describe the food retail environment of consumers in the neighborhood of Ashongman Estates, located in Accra, Ghana. Second, the study evaluates consumer access to food and consumer behavior related to retail outlets and food types. Results demonstrate that, although supermarkets have entered the food retail environment, traditional retailers continue to be the main and preferred food retail outlets for consumers. The results also show that there is a high level of access to a wide variety and good quality of foods throughout the built environment. This research offers recommendations to maintain this good access to food and improve the traditional food retail environment.