A 58-year-old lady was given a on-month prison term for cooking shito with spoiled veggies.

Elizabeth Arthur, 58, was arrested by the police in Koforidua, in the Eastern Region, and sentenced to one month in jail for producing pepper sauce, shito, out of rotting vegetables.

According to a news report by UTV, Elizabeth was also given a GHC4,800 fine in addition to the one-month sentence.

The 58-year-old woman will serve an additional 20 months in prison, according to the newspaper, if she is unable to pay the fee.

It added that the decision was made on February 15, 2023, in a Koforidua court presided over by Nana Ama Debrah Finn after the defendant pleaded not guilty to the allegations levelled against her.

Her Legal Aid Department counsel implored the judge to impose a non-custodial term on her due to her age and condition, but to no avail.

The Ghana Police Service detained the 58-year-old in January 2023 after discovering what they believed to be a hazardous way to make shito.

Some millers came upon Naana, a woman who sells shito in the city, because she usually goes there to have her ingredients ground.

This had been going on for a while, according to UTV reporter Michael Akrofi, before one of the mill workers decided to let the police know so they could look into it.

The reporter continued by stating that onion peels left over from "chop bars" are among the items Naana uses in her shito.