In a statement signed by the Chief Executive Officer of FDA, Hudu Mogtari said that The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) wishes to bring to the attention of the general public, the production, distribution and sale of a reddish powdered product sold as ‘Tomato powder’ on the Ghanaian market, and that investigations conducted by the FDA on the so called ‘Tomato powder’ revealed that there is no tomato present in the substance, rather the substance contains ‘Annatto Seed’ (Bixa orellana) and a Cocktail of milled residues of various products such as Corn and ‘Konkonte’ etc. The ‘Annatto Seed’ is said to provide the reddish colour to the product. In additionally, the production, storage and marketing of the products are often carried out under unhygienic conditions and could pose potential public health risk to consumers. Furthermore, the investigation conducted by FDA revealed that the ‘Tomato powder’ is extensively used as substitute for Fresh tomatoes and Tomato paste with the intention of making the prepared food appear reddish and attractive. The FDA in the last three months has embarked on extensive public education to sensitize the general public on the need to desist from the patronage of the supposed ‘Tomato powder’. In the light of this, the FDA on the 16th August 2016 arrested a producer / wholesaler / distributor of the alleged ‘Tomato powder’ with the assistance of the Ghana Police. She is currently assisting the Police in their investigations.
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