Mr. Kofi Amponsah-Bediako, Head of Marketing and Public Relations, Ghana Standards Board (GTB) on Wednesday advised manufacturers and importers of tomato paste and tomato concentrates to brand their products properly in order not to confuse the public.
"There is a clear difference between tomato paste and tomato concentrates and the public are entitled to know the truth to make informed
decision when purchasing them," he said in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra.
On the influx of unapproved tomato Concentrates on the market, Mr Amponsah-Bediako said "according to GTB certifications, tomato paste contains tomato, salt and seasoning as the main ingredients while tomato concentrates has tomato and starch as the main ingredients".
He said although there had not been any investigations against the efficacy of tomato concentrates in the country, it was important that
consumers knew exactly what they consume.
"It is pathetic to note that there are many products on the market without the necessary certification from the regulatory bodies, thereby
making consumers purchase unwholesome foods," he added.
Mr. Amponsah-Bediako said the problem was due to the use of unapproved routes by importers of these products, which was a challenge to regulatory bodies.
He therefore, appealed to the public to volunteer information on these unapproved routes to the security agencies to stem the influx of these products on the market.