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Tanzania

General Information

• WHO Africa - Country Profile : http://www.afro.who.int/des/fos/country_profiles/tanzania.pdf
• This paper pointed out the food control system in Tanzania. It stated the main Food Safety and Quality Problems Encountered with the Country’s Imports, being too high quality specifications demand. It has also stated that the mechanism of collecting and dissemination of information is not is not available and combined inspection is done as a monitoring system. Food laws and implementing authorities in Tanzania are in place, tough hindered due to lack of resources. However, the national standards are similar to the codex standards.

  See also International Portal on Food Safety, Animal & Plant Health

Key Legal Documents

Links to Organisations involved in Food Law

Information (listed by date)

2005

• Document: Report of the Sixteenth Session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Africa.
• Source: Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme Alimentarius Commission - Twenty-eighth Session Rome , Italy , 4 – 9 July 2005.
• Extract: Food control activities in Tanzania are carried out by departments and agencies located in seven. Ministries, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Ministry of Water and Livestock Development, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, the Ministry of Regional Administration and Local Government, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology. The Tanzania food safety standards are based on the codex standards where they exist. Tanzania has a codex contact point which is located in Tanzania Bureau of Standards, (TBS).
• Link: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/download/report/632/al28_28e.pdf

• Document: Effective Food Control Systems: Practical Approaches for the African region, Development of a National Strategy for Food Control, The Experience of Tanzania - By: Dr. Claude J S Mosha
• Source: FAO/WHO Workshop, 24 January 2005 - Rome, Italy.
• Abstract: This paper gives an outline of the food control system as dated back to 1937. It states the major key players in the system with the laws and legislations developed. This paper also point out the weakness of the system, that since it involves a multiplicity of the legal agencies, then it will lead to inadequate coordination of standard setting mandates; insufficient coordination of enforcement mandates; and inadequate coordination of policy issues.
• Link: ftp://ftp.fao.org/es/esn/food/meetings/2005/italy_crd2_en.pdf

• Document: Costs of Agri-Food Safety and SPS Compliance: United Republic of Tanzania, Mozambique and Guinea: Tropical Fruits.
• Source: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development - Geneva.
• Extract: In Tanzania, the institutions involved in the regulatory system and standard-setting system are the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS), under the authority of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Plant Health Services (PHS) in the Ministry of Agriculture and the Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA) under the Ministry of Health. There are a number of private and public laboratories with the capacity to perform plant and food analysis. The key laboratories include the TBS Test House, composed of several laboratories, including a chemical laboratory and food and microbiological laboratory, the laboratories of the TFDA and of the Government Chemistry Laboratories Agency (GCLA), and the TIRDO laboratories.
• Link: http://www.unctad.org/en/docs/ditccom20052_en.pdf

• Document: Strengthening the National Food Control System and National Codex Organization in Tanzania.
• Source: Technical Cooperation Projects: Africa, February 2005
• Extract: Tanzania does not have co-ordinated mechanisms to monitor the safety, quality and nutritional status of imported and locally produced/processed food products. There is inadequate capacity for monitoring of environmental and other contaminants such as residues of pesticides and veterinary drugs, heavy metals and microbiological contaminants in food. The available laboratory in the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) will require reorganization and supply of essential equipment, chemicals, reagents and glassware to enable it to meet the challenges of the proposed control system. National food legislation and regulations are inadequate to guide industry, importers, exporters, public regulatory officials and consumers in assessing the suitability of food for human consumption. The existing food safety and quality legislation, that is, the Food (Control of Quality) Act (1978), the Standards Act (1975) and the Fisheries Act (1981), is outmoded and inadequate to meet current requirements of international food trade.
• Link: ftp://ftp.fao.org/es/esn/food/

200-

• Document: Strengthening the National Food Control System and National Codex Organization in Tanzania.
• Source: Doha Development Agenda Trade Capacity Building Database.
• Extract: To improve quality, safety and nutritional value of food produced in Tanzania and to ensure the acceptability of food imports/exports into/from the country by: Reviewing and improving the current food control administration in the country;
• Link: http://tcbdb.wto.org/trta_project.asp?prjcd=TCP/URT/2903&ctry=116

2003

• Document: Functions of TFDA.
• Source: Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA).
• Extract: The Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA) was established under Tanzania Food, Drugs and Cosmetics Act No. 1 of 2003, after repealing the pharmaceuticals and poisons Act No. 9 and Food {Control of Quality} Act No. 10 both of 1978. This is a regulatory authority which among other tasks is responsible for controlling of quality and safety of food.
• Link: http://www.tfda.or.tz/

• Document: Report of the Fifteenth Session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Africa.
• Source: Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme, Codex Alimentarius Commission, Twenty-Sixth Session 30 June – 5 July 2003.
• Extract: Tanzania has put food safety concern in the top national priorities and this has been communicated to WHO. Provision of safe and adequate food was considered to be a constitutional right and a requisite for prevention of diseases as well as minimizing ill health effects. Strategies included provision of safe water to urban and rural communities and training of different players in the food chain on good hygienic practices including HACCP; 100 small/medium scale food processors, 100 health officers, 800 fishermen/fishmongers and 20 food supermarket operators have been trained. The Delegation informed that Tanzania Consumer Association had been formed few years ago but regrettably it was not very active. The organization is represented in the National Codex Coordinating Committee but did not have representation in the National Codex Working Groups. The Delegation also informed the Committee that the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) wished to see revival of the organization and would liase with Consumers International to see if assistance could be provided to this effect.
• Link: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/download/report/407/Al03_28e.pdf

2002

• Document: Improving Efficiency and Transparency in Food Safety Systems, Sharing Experiences.
• Source: FAO/WHO Global Forum of Food Safety Regulators, Marrakesh, Morocco, 28 - 30 January 2002.
• Extract: The regulatory framework to assure food safety and quality control functions in Tanzania is a responsibility of Ministries of Health, Agriculture and Food Security, Natural Resources and Tourism, and Ministry of Industries and Trade. These ministries have been empowered by laws, which include: Food (Quality) Control Act, a Plant Protection Act, a Fisheries Act, a Radiation Control Act, a Standards Act and a Tropical Pesticides Research Institute Act (1979).
• Link: http://www.fao.org/docrep/meeting/004/Y3680E/Y3680E09.htm

• Document: Reduction of Foodborne Hazards, including Microbilogicaland others, with emphasis on Emerging Hazards, by Dr. Claude J S Mosha and Mr. Richard N Magoma.
• Source: FAO/WHO Global Forum of Food Safety Regulators - Marrakech, Morocco, 28 - 30 January 2002.
• Extract: The fish industry in Tanzania is operating under a hygiene programme based on the recommended Codex Codes of hygiene for fishery establishments and on the various EU Directives on fish hygiene. With this programme and the assistance of international organisations such as UNIDO and EU the fish handling and processing establishments mostly around Lake Victoria have managed to install the HACCP (Hazards Analysis and Critical Control Point) systems. However, the application of precautionary principles in the control of food safety in this country has become a problem, largely due to inadequate facilities required for analysis. For example testing for pesticide residues and residues of veterinary drugs have to be contracted out of the country ( South Africa).
• Link: http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/MEETING/004/AB522E.HTM

• Document: National and Transboundary Food Safety Emergencies, by Dr. Claude J S Mosha and Mr. Richard N Magoma.
• Source: FAO/WHO Global Forum of Food Safety Regulators - Marrakech, Morocco, 28 - 30 January 2002.
• Abstract: Tanzania has currently reviewed and re-organise the food control of quality systems so as to ensure food safety and quality in order to meet globalization and market liberalization forces in the world. This is due to the fact that food safety has become an important in the food trade, both locally and internationally.The food safety and quality control functions in Tanzania is a function of four ministries, Ministry of Health, Agriculture and Food Security, Natural resources and Tourism and Ministry of Industries and Trade.
• Link: http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/MEETING/004/AB512E.HTM

2001

• Document: Report of the Fourteenth Session of the Codex Coordinating Committee for Africa ( Kampala, Uganda, 27 - 30 November 2000).
• Source: Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme CODEX Alimentarius Commission, Twenty-fourth Session - Geneva, 2 - 7 July 2001.
• Extract: The Delegation of Tanzania recalled the long-standing food standardization process being undertaken by the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) since 1976. As National Codex Contact Point and the Secretariat of the National Codex Committee and its subsidiary bodies, TBS was designated as the national body in charge of implementing Codex standards as national standards. The Delegation pointed out that Tanzania was also taking part in the work of the East African Standards Secretariat and the SADC Standards Committee in ensuring adaptation and adoption of Codex Standards.
• Link: http://www.fao.org/docrep/meeting/005/X9372E/x9372e09.htm#TopOfPage

Information last updated - 14 July 2006