Tanzania: TBS Registers 3,400 Foodstuffs, Cosmetics in One Year

By Hilda Mhagama

TANZANIA Bureau of Standard (TBS) has registered 3,404 premises of foodstuffs and cosmetics between October and August this year.

The importance of premises, registration is to ensure that regulated products (foodstuffs and cosmetics) are stored, sold and handled on premises which meet standard hygienic conditions to ensure the safety and quality of the products.

TBS has been conducting surveillance inspection to verify and advise dealers to register their premises in compliance with the law.

With the aim to move registered services closer to people TBS for the first time used the 27th Agricultural Exhibition (Nane Nane) to raise public awareness, register premises and initiate a certification process.

TBS registered six premises and initiated a certification process of three companies during the exhibition.

TBS Lake Zone Inspector Nelson Mugema urged owners of hotels, restaurants, food warehouses and cosmetic shops to register their premises through an online application system (OAS).

Mr Mugema told the 'Daily News' that the premises and product registration were legal requirements that must be fulfilled by all those engaged in the business of foodstuffs and cosmetics according to the Standard Act No 2 of 2009 amended by the Finance Act, 2019.

According to the Act, no person shall manufacture, import, distribute, sell or expose for sale pre-packaged foodstuffs and cosmetics unless the products are registered by TBS.

"The Act also restricts manufacture for sale, sell, supply or store food, food products or cosmetics except in premises registered under the Act," he noted.

He added: "Any person interested in selling, storing food and cosmetics must register business premises with TBS before commencing business operations and must obtain a business licence for trading specific product. Licences are usually renewed at intervals of one year (usually on July 1 each year)."

He further said dealers should voluntarily comply with not only requirements for product and premise registration, but also other requirements provided for by the Financial Act 2019/20.

"Voluntary compliance by product dealers is considered by TBS as the most effective means of providing adequate protection of consumers against hazards related to the consumption of unsafe products," he asserted.

Expounding further, he reminded operators that all activities that were conducted by the then Tanzania Foods and Drugs Authority (TFDA) relating to quality assurance and safety of food and cosmetic products had been transferred to TBS effective from July 2019.