Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS)

Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) has urged dealers of food and cosmetics to register business premises, a legal requirement for the safety and protection of consumers.

The Acting TBS Coast Zone Manager Francis Mapunda made the remarks recently on the ongoing 48th Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair (DITF).

“The objective of premises and product registration is to ensure that only safe and quality products are approved and stored in premises which cannot jeopardise the quality and safety of the respective products with the aim of protecting public health,” he said.

He said the cosmetic dealers should ensure that their products meet the required TBS standards to avoid those with toxic ingredients which are harmful to human health.

He said premise registration is a mandatory requirement for a trader who intends to deal with distribution, storage and importation of cosmetics products.

The premise registration certificate for cosmetics is only issued to registered cosmetics dealers and is regulated by the TBS.

According to the Standard Act, No. 2 of 2009 amended by the Finance Act, 2019, no person shall manufacture, import, distribute, sell or expose for sale pre-packaged food and cosmetics unless the products are registered by the Bureau.

The Act also restricts manufacture for sale, sell, supply or store food, food products or cosmetics except in premises registered under the Act.
He said during the ‘Sabasaba fair’, TBS provided education on various issues on how entrepreneurs and manufacturers can register their products after meeting the required quality standards.

Mr Mapunda urged manufacturers to use the various laboratory services offered by TBS like the dimension laboratory that deals with traceability and calibration of length and angular measuring equipment, instrument and tools.

The calibration services of the dimension laboratory are designed to help the makers and users of precision instruments achieve the highest possible levels of measurement quality and productivity.

He urged the public to make sure that goods procured are those bearing TBS certification as way to protect the country from damping and also protecting their health from using hazardous product.