Food and Beverages Association of Ghana entreats tomato paste importers and producers to comply with FDA standards

This is coming after the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) directed that all batches of specified 16 tomato paste should be withdrawn from the market.

A statement released by the FDA said the stated brands of tomato paste were found to contain ingredients such as starch and colour (erythrosine) that were not indicated on the labels.

The statement added that these ingredients are not permitted in tomato paste.

According to the FDA, “these products do not conform to the Ghana Standard for Tomato Paste…”

The Executive Secretary of the Food and Beverages Association of Ghana, Samuel Aggrey, told Accra-based Citi FM, that manufacturers and importers must put the safety of their consumers first.

“Poor labeling, for example, is a danger for everything that we consume. Even the way products are stored is also another challenge and therefore what I would say is that every manufacturer, every importer should ensure that whatever they are bringing in and putting out there for the consumer is what their label says so that the consumer would understand exactly what they are buying.”

He added that tomato paste producers must invest in extra tests to ensure their products are safe.

“Going forward, the affected companies will go back and rectify their mistakes, but before they put the products back on the market, FDA will be there to inspect and ensure that the right thing has been done. It’s also important that any production that you do, sometimes you need to get a third party laboratory analysis so that you are sure of what is going out there.”

Affected tomato paste brands

The tomato paste brands that were ordered to withdraw all batches of their products, include Alyssa Tomato Paste, Shalom Tomato Paste, Aicha Tomato Paste, Juliet Tomato Paste, Star-Time Tomato Paste, Mama and Papa Tomato Paste, Daily Double Concentrated Tomato Paste and Prestige Tomato Paste.

The rest are Roi Lion Double Concentrated Tomato Paste, Richese Tomato Paste, Green Garden Tomato Paste, Rococo Tomato Paste, Nano Tomato Paste, Tasty Family Tomato Paste, and Ma Bravo Tomato Paste.