TANZANIA – The Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) has urged the public to utilize certified food items as a way to uphold food safety and lower their risk of contracting foodborne illnesses.
The TBS Marketing Officer, Rhoda Mayugu, made the comments while engaging with food manufacturers and consumers during the six-day exhibition conducted in Bariadi District, Simiyu Region to commemorate the conclusion of World Food Day.
“As a key stakeholder in regulating food standards, TBS used the opportunity during the fair to provide education to manufacturers and consumers on certification of the products.
“Our message to food manufacturers was to advise them on quality certification to enhance the value of their products that would guarantee easy penetration in the regional and global markets,” she said.
According to Ms. Mayugu, food quality certification is a crucial need that ensures consumers’ safety and that what they eat won’t endanger their health.
She added that at the show, business owners learned about the TBS’s various services, including the free registration and certification of their products.
She claimed that because the government covers all expenses, free registration and certification services are offered to business owners around the nation.
She stated that in order to start the certification procedure, business owners must get an introductory letter from the Small Industries Development Organization (SIDO) and send it to TBS.
The officer claimed that TBS has been interacting with businesspeople at national exhibits and educating them on how to cost-free register and certify their items.
“Some entrepreneurs may not have registered and certified their goods but are well informed about the TBS role and that the standards watchdog has the database of SMEs to reach them easily,” she added.
According to her, majority of the exhibitors made a commitment to act right away to register and certify their items in order to seize local and international market prospects.
Meanwhile, the TBS Northern Zone Quality Inspector Anderson Msumanje, said his office had already visited more than 68 SMEs, issuing them with Standard Marks of Quality.
The “tbs” Standards Mark of Quality on a product indicates that samples of the product are independently and routinely tested and certified by the bureau against relevant Tanzania standards.
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