DODOMA: TANZANIA Bureau of Standards (TBS) has destroyed 4.5 tonnes of goods deemed unfit for human use, valued at 44.9m/-, as part of intensified enforcement efforts to safeguard consumer health.
Quality Control Officer and Acting Manager of the TBS Central Zone, Sifa Chamgenzi, told reporters yesterday that the products were seized between October last year and February this year in the Central Zone regions of Dodoma, Singida and Iringa.
“The destroyed goods include cosmetics containing banned toxic substances, expired food products and second-hand underwear,” she said.
She said consumption of expired or tampered food products poses both immediate and long-term health risks to consumers, potentially leading to serious medical complications.
“Such health risks may escalate into life-threatening conditions, including cancer, while also imposing significant economic burdens on affected individuals and families,” she noted.
Meanwhile, she said second-hand underwears pose direct health risks when in contact with the body and if contaminated with disease-causing organisms, can cause harm to the user.
She said that secondhand underwear should not be allowed into the market, warning that any such goods found to have entered through illegal channels would be confiscated and destroyed to safeguard public health.
She further urged traders to adhere strictly to quality standards, noting that compliance is critical to protecting consumers and sustaining fair trade practices.