What started as a few customer complaints has unraveled into a full-blown food safety scandal. The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has suspended the production of Tasty Tom Enriched Tomato Mix, following damning revelations at the factory of Nutrifoods Ghana Limited.
The FDA confirmed that its investigation revealed a catalogue of failures at the production site ranging from poor maintenance of critical equipment to ineffective monitoring systems. These lapses directly impacted product safety and quality, especially in the popular pouch packs.
“Some of the pouches were found bloated, with mold growing inside,” the FDA revealed, describing the scene as a potential public health hazard.
The directive affects all canned Tasty Tom Tomato Mix products and specifically targets the 380g and 1.05kg pouches. Consumers are being advised to return or dispose of any affected products immediately.
But the bigger shock? Nutrifoods had already been barred from producing this very product earlier this year in January 2025.
“We are not only investigating the company, but also looking internally to determine if there were regulatory lapses,” the FDA stated. “Any dereliction of duty identified will be swiftly dealt with.”
This raises serious concerns about enforcement, oversight, and the effectiveness of regulatory mechanisms meant to protect the public. If a company banned from producing a product in January could re-enter the market by August, who was watching? Or perhaps more importantly who wasn’t?
