Elizabeth Arthur, 58 years old, of Koforidua, has been arrested by police for what is thought to be an unsafe method of creating the locally made pepper sauce, shito.
The woman, popularly known as Naana, who sells shito throughout the city , was discovered by some millers where she goes to have her ingredients ground.
According to UTV reporter Michael Akrofi, this had been going on for a time until one of the millers decided to call the cops and denounce it. The reporter added that some of the ingredients Naana uses for her shito include the peels of onions that are disposed of at 'chop bars'.
"A miller, Elizabeth Arthur, popularly known as Naana in Koforidua, was the first to detect this action by a woman named Elizabeth Arthur. She's 58 years old. The millers realized that everything she brought to be milled was rancid and undesired.
"The millers also know the work the woman performs; she sells shito, so they were sure that what she comes to grind is for the shito. To validate this, the millers began studying her and confirmed that she was indeed utilizing those items to prepare her shito.
"Some of the items she sends to them are onion garbage. She accomplishes this by going there to sweep the rubbish under the guise of disposing of it. She doesn't even sort through the trash when she gets home.
She merely adds pepper to what she has and some ginger peels she picks up from the chop bars before going to have them ground. When she is finished, she prepares the shito and goes to sell it among the kenkey sellers.
"One of the millers eventually reported the allegation to the police, and happily, the police followed up on it and caught her in the act. "She was taken to the Central Police Station," he explained.
According to the UTV reporter, the middle-aged woman has since been given bail, but the police have also requested that the Food and Drugs Authority, as well as the Standards Authority and environmental health experts, come in to assist them in ensuring that the woman is prosecuted. He went on to say that the woman has been selling shito for a long time, delivering her goods to many kenkey merchants in Koforidua..
“The woman has grandchildren who she sends around to sell the shito for her,” he added.
Watch the interview below:
