At markets in Ghana, inspectors still check salt with test kits that turn blue-black when iodine is present. The Food and Drugs Authority says selling non-iodized salt violates the requirements.
A landmark study on iodine deficiency helped lead to Ghana's mandatory salt iodization program. Lartey was part of the research team. Ghana adopted universal salt iodization in 1996.
That work is among the achievements behind Dr. Anna Lartey's 2026 Alumni of Honour Award from the University of Guelph, the University's highest alumni distinction. Her research also helped shape child growth standards now used in more than 125 countries.
Lartey earned a Master of Science in Human Health and Nutritional Science in 1986. She credits her U of G education with laying the foundation for her interest in nutrition research and setting her on a path to international leadership.
As director of Nutrition at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Rome, she led work on global nutrition. She later served as president of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences, an international NGO established in 1948 to promote nutrition science through international cooperation.
Lartey also played a key role in the World Health Organization's Multicentre Growth Reference Study. WHO uses weight-for-length or height to assess children under 5: overweight is above two standard deviations from the median, while obesity is above three. For children and adolescents aged 5-19, WHO uses BMI-for-age, with overweight above one standard deviation and obesity above two. The WHO growth reference gives health systems age-appropriate measures for tracking child growth.
Her work has focused on hunger and malnutrition. Her research has also examined maternal and child nutrition, including the impact of maternal HIV on infants.
Lartey has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and continues to serve on national and international boards. She is now a professor at the University of Ghana, where she mentors students who have gone on to work at universities around the world.
The University says its Human Health and Nutritional Sciences programs connect scientific research with practical impact. Lartey's work has reached policy and global standards, while her teaching has guided students entering the field.
Her previous recognition includes a Lifetime Achievement Award from the IUNS and an honorary Doctor of Science from McGill University. "As a Gryphon, you rise with courage and you move with vision and wisdom," she says.
