Key Messages
A healthy diet starts with safe food.
- The food safety regulatory framework in Tanzania is characterized by the absence of a comprehensive, overarching policy framework dedicated solely to food safety. Instead, food safety governance is fragmented across various laws and regulations managed by different institutions each addressing specific aspects of food safety.
- There is a lack of clear separation of roles and responsibilities among regulatory agencies, leading to implementation challenges. The historical functional overlap between Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) and Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA) resulted in both agencies being involved in similar functions creating redundancy and inefficiency. The current, food safety policy frameworks emphasize the safety of food after harvesting; less attention is given to pre- and primary production processes where major food safety issues lie. This creates a regulatory gap for production, harvesting and handling across other food value chain segments, leaving Tanzanians at risk
- We call on the Government to strengthen food safety for all Tanzanians by reviewing the regulatory framework and set out a comprehen