Over the years, a lot of people have erroneously believed that tomatoe paste and puree are just beautifully blended and packaged ‘tomatoe’.
Don’t be deceived, most of the so-called canned tomatoe out there are mostly starch, additives, colourants and a little percentage of the real tomatoe!
That much was revealed by Dr. Gloria N Elemo, the Director General of the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi [FIIRO].
The scientist made this disclosure during the working visit of members of the West African Agricultural Productivity Programme [WAAPP-IB] to FIIRO.
“In my course of work, I have stumbled upon evidences that canned/packaged tomatoe paste and puree is not all about tomatoe. I’m aware that edible starch is allowed in the manufacturing of so many things for instance tablets, but when the inclusion exceeds the authorised limits, it becomes an issue.”
Watching the reactions of people around looking askance, it was clear not many people knew about this.
A commentator said: “When you go through the information printed on a packaged/canned tomatoe paste, most manufacturers state that tomatoe concentrate is 28 per cent. Ingredients are listed as tomatoe and salt. Nobody informs you that part of that 28 per cent which they are claiming to be tomatoe concentrate is edible starch which can be in form of corn starch, etcetera. Additives and of course colorants also make up the 28 per cent.”
Speaking with our correspondent, Mrs. Ogochukwu N. Mainasara, Director, Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Directorate, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control [NAFDAC] explained that manufacturers are allowed by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria [SON] to add 5 per cent edible starch in order for the tomatoe to bind together.
“But many of these manufacturers abuse it by adding as much as 15 per cent starch to increase the volume and extend the shelf life.”
It is however instructive to note that most of the tomatoe paste or puree consumed in the country is not manufactured here, most are imported in drums, wooden cages and cans from Italy, US, India and mainly China. They are subsequently diluted and canned or packaged by various companies here.
In an interview with another Government Scientist at FIIRO, who incidentally is heading a committee which has the mandate to come up with ways of preserving and utilising the tomatoe harvested in the northern part of Nigeria, he lamented that ” between 2009 and 2010, that a total of 105,000 metric tons of tomatoe paste valued at over N116 billion was imported into the country to bridge the deficit gap between supply and demand.”
The foreign manufacturers, he lamented, “add up to 50 per cent starch and bring down to Nigeria for dilution and repackaged locally under different brand.”
Nigeria is a significant consumer of tomatoe paste hence it forms a key destination market for especially Chinese tomatoe paste.
Fresh tomatoes are grown in many towns especially in the northern part of the country, but lack of infrastructure results in high post harvest losses hence consumers have adapted to the convenience offered by tomatoe paste.
NAFDAC has on several occasions expressed concern on tomatoe paste adulteration.
Investigation conducted by NAFDAC on tomatoe paste in Nigerian market revealed that 91.1 per cent of the brands failed to meet the required standard with virtually all the brands from China being culprits.
Reacting to the news, the Association of Agricultural Products and Equipment Manufacturers in Nigeria called on the federal government to ban all retail tomatoe paste packs from the country.
The Association, called on the government to impound all the substandard products with immediate effect, just as it stressed the need for importers found culpable to be prosecuted accordingly.
While commending the officials of NAFDAC and SON for alerting the nation to the unwholesome imports, “we urge them to be extra vigilant to stop further imports of the commodity,” stated the Association.
To many analysts, it is indeed worrisome that such dangerous cargoes are able to get into the country undetected, noting that the problem with the products ought to have been discovered during their testing and registration by the regulatory agencies.