TBS takes standards services closer to traders
DAR ES SALAAM: TANZANIA Bureau of Standards (TBS) is bringing registration, inspection, testing and standards education closer to businesses, easing compliance challenges while strengthening product safety and consumer confidence in the markets.
The initiative, delivered through the Standards Clinic, is designed to make TBS services more accessible to traders while helping them understand and meet requirements governing the quality and safety of products sold in the country.
Speaking during the ongoing clinic in Kariakoo and Mwenge in Dar es Salaam, over the weekend, Kinondoni Municipal Acting Director Salum Yusuph, representing the Kinondoni District Commissioner, commended TBS for taking its services closer to the public.
He said the initiative was important in ensuring products manufactured, distributed and sold in the country meet required standards, while supporting a safer and more reliable marketplace.
Mr Yusuph said TBS services, including product testing, inspection, registration of products and business premises, as well as public education, play a critical role in protecting public health and building consumer confidence.
He stressed that food and product safety should not be viewed as a government responsibility alone, but as a shared obligation involving businesses and other stakeholders.
He urged traders to ensure products they manufacture and sell are safe and comply with applicable standards.
“Quality products build a trader’s reputation, increase consumer confidence and open up more business opportunities,” he said.
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For his part, TBS Product and Premises Registration Manager Habakuki Kalebo said food and cosmetics safety required the participation of all stakeholders, particularly businesses handling products consumed or used by the public.
He said TBS guidelines require food and cosmetics traders to register their business premises, including shops, warehouses, hotels, restaurants and other facilities involved in the handling and sale of such products.
Mr Kalebo urged traders to use the Standards Clinic to obtain registration services and clarify standards requirements, saying compliance was important not only for public health but also for protecting businesses and strengthening market trust.
He said the clinic had so far been conducted in Kariakoo and Mwenge and would be extended to other regions where TBS has zonal offices.
TBS is also working with local government authorities nationwide to provide registration and inspection services for food and cosmetics businesses, extending compliance support from the local level to the national level.
A trader who benefited from the clinic, Sajobe, said bringing the services closer had reduced the difficulty and time involved in accessing TBS services.
He said traders previously had to travel to other locations to obtain the services, whereas the Kariakoo clinic had enabled them to address registration issues more quickly.
“I have benefited greatly because they made it easier for me to quickly register all the products I import. I managed to register many products within a short time, and the process was much easier,” he said.
Beyond registration, the clinic has provided traders with an opportunity to seek clarification on standards, product safety and compliance requirements.
