Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS)

TANZANIA Bureau of Standards (TBS) has advised manufacturers and importers of maize flour, grains, and peanut butter to comply with standards requirements lest they incur penalties and heavy losses.

TBS's Director General Dr Athumani Ngenya said over the weekend in Dar es Salaam that protection of final consumer's well-being is among the authority's top priority.

"We are fully aware of the importance of products derived from grains, especially corn flour and other grains, thus we are reminding you about observing guidlines on the quality production requirements so that you can produce, import, and distribute products that meet the standard requirements of safety and quality ," said Dr Ngenya.

Adding " these products can simply be contaminated by poisonous substances when proper guidance beginning from farms, stores, and manufacturing process are not considered,"

Speaking on the awareness programme conducted by TBS, Mr Baraka Nyerenda, flour producer in Songwe region said the training will increase their confidence since they will be aware with the requirement and will enable them be competent in markets due to the trust gained.

"Therefore, through this training they remind us what things to consider when producing our flour so that even if we go to the market, we deliver to the consumer a product that is safe and good," said Nyerenda.

He said that the training provided by TBS is an opportunity for them to be able to find reliable markets and continue to produce products by reaching standards so that they can sell them locally and abroad.

Additionally, Ms Janeth Shile, manufacturer flour corn flour said that by participating in this training and being visited by TBS officials to inspect the products produced, they give them the strength to enter the market with high competition.

She further adviced her fellow producers to share the training so that they can make commercials that meet the standards so that it is easy to bury them from the inside.