The Food and Beverages Association of Ghana (FABAG), has charged its members to abide by the labeling rules and other standards for food items in the country.
This follows the recent recall order by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) for products of some 16 tomato paste brands to be withdrawn from the market.
According to the FDA, the different brands of tomato paste were found to contain starch and colours, ingredients that are not permitted in tomato pastes. They also added that the products do not conform to the Ghana standards for Tomato Paste and contravene the General Labeling Law, LI 1541.
Speaking to Citi Business News on the FDA’ action, Executive Secretary of the Food and Beverages Association of Ghana, Samuel Aggrey, said manufacturers and importers must ensure the products they put out are safe for consumers.
“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.”
Mr. Aggrey also advised tomato paste producers to invest in extra tests to ensure they are not putting harmful products on the market.
“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.