Rev. TZS 116:1981 AFDC 5(6097) P3  
 
 
 
 
 
 
DRAFT TANZANIA STANDARD  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Food additives -  Labelling  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
TANZANIA  BUREAU OF STANDARDS  
 Rev. TZS 116:1981 AFDC 5(6097) P3  
 
 
0   Foreword  
 
Labelling is an essential requirement  in the use and trade of all food additives. Its purpose is to inform 
the purchaser and user in an unambiguous manner of the contents inside the package or container. It is 
important that the declaration and claims made in the label are true and reflect th e product packed  
Manufacturers of food additives and trade agencies have often been labelling food additives anyhow. 
The arbitrary labeling of the food additives with only fancy trade  names has sometimes created 
confusion. Some food manufacturers,   fail to comply with  other Tanzania Standards on food  because 
of lack of sufficient knowledge of the food additives they use. This standard has been prepared to 
establish  a proper way of labeling food additives.  
 
In the preparation of this standard, assistance  was derived from:  
 
 
FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission ALINORM 79/12, Appendix.  
 
 
 
1   Scope  
 
This Tanzania Standard applies to the labelling of food additives sold as such whether by retail or other 
tan by retail, including sales to caterers and food manufacturers for the purpose of their business. This 
standard also applie s to food processing aids.  
 
2  Normative  Reference  
 
The following referenced documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their 
content constitute require ments of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. 
For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) 
applies  
 
TZS 11: – Permissible food additives and their levels of use – Schedule.  
 
TZS 538 Labelling of pre \-packaged foods — General requirements  
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 Rev. TZS 116:1981 AFDC 5(6097) P3  
 
 
 
3   Terms and Definitions  
 
For the purpose of this Tanzania Standard the following terms and definitions shall apply:  
 
3.1   Food additive  
 
Any substance not normally consumed  as food in its own right and not normally used as atypical 
ingredients of food, whether or not it has nutritive value, the international addition of which to food for 
technological (including organoleptic) purpose in the manufacturer, processing, preparat ion, treatment, 
packing, packaging, transport or holding of such food  results, or may be reasonably expected to result 
(directly or indirectly) in it or its by -protects becoming a components of or otherwise affecting the 
characteristics of such foods. The  term does not include contaminants, or substances added to food for  
maintaining or improving nutritional qualities, or sodium chloride.  
 
3.2 Processing aid  
 
A substance or material not including apparatus or utensils and not consumed as a food ingredient by 
itself, intentionally used in the processing of raw materials, food or other ingredients to fulfill a certain  
technological purpose during treatment or processing and which may result in the non -intentional but 
unavoidable presence of residues or derivati ves in the final product.  
 
3.3 Contaminant  
 
Any substance not intentionally added to food, which is present in such food as a result of the 
production including operations carried out in crop  husbandry, animal  husbandry and veterinary 
medicine), packaging, t ransport or holding of such food  or as a result of environmental contamination.  
 
3.4 label includes any tag, brand mark, pictorial or other descriptive matter, written, painted, stenciled, 
marked, embossed or impressed on, or  attached to a container.  
 
3.4 Labelling 
Includes the label and any written, printed or graphic matter relating to and accompanying the food 
additive. The term does not include bills, invoices and similar material which may accompany the food 
additives.  
 
3.6 Container  
 
Any form of packaging of food additives for sale or otherwise as a single  item whether by completely or 
partially enclosing the food additives, and includes wrappers.  
 
3.7 Ingredient  
Any substance, excluding a food additives, used in the manufacturer or preparation o f a food and 
present in the final product.  
 
3.8 sale by retail  
means any sale to a person buying otherwise than for the purpose of resale but does  not include a sale 
to caterers for the purposes of their catering business or a sale to manufacturers for th e purposes of 
their manufacturing business.  
  
3.9 Trade name  a name that has the status of a trademark.  Rev. TZS 116:1981 AFDC 5(6097) P3  
 
 
 
4 General principles  
 
4.1 Food additives shall not be described or presented on any label or in any labeling in a manner that 
is false, misleading or deceptive or is likely to create an erroneous impression regarding their character 
in any  respect.  
 
4.2 Food additives shall not b e described or presented on any label or in any labeling by words, pictorial 
or other devices which refer to or are suggestive, either directly or indirectly  of any other product with 
which such food additives might be confused, or in such a manner as to lead the purchaser or 
consumer to suppose that the food additive is connected with or derived from such other product; 
provided that the term “x -flavour” may be used to describe a flavour which is not derived from, but 
reproduces the flavour  of “x”.  
 
 
5 Labeling of prepacked food additives  
Labelling of food additives shall be as described in TZS 538. In addition labels of all food additives sold 
shall bear the information required by 5.1 to 5.6 of this clause as applicable to food additives being 
labeled.  
 
5.1 Details of the food additives  
 
a) The name of each food additive resent shall be given. The name shall be specified as per TZS 
115 (see clause 2).  
b) If two or more food additives are present, their names shall be given in the form of a list. The 
list shall b e given in descending order of the proportion by mass. If food ingredients are part of 
the preparation, they shall be declared in the list of ingredients in descending order of 
proportion.  
c) Food additives with a shelf -life not exceeding 18 months shall carr y the date of minimum 
durability using words such as “will keep at least until ....”.  
d) The words “For Food Use” or statement substantially similar thereto  shall appear in a 
prominent position on the label.  
 
5.2 Instruction on keeping and use  
 
Adequate info rmation shall be given about the manner in which  the food additives is to be kept and is 
to be used in food.  
 
5.3 Net contents  
 
The net contents shall be declared in the metric system (SI)  Units. This declaration shall be made in 
the following manner:  
 
a) for liquid food additives by volume or mass;  
b) for solid food additives by mass;  
c)  for semi -solid or viscous food additives either by mass or volume.  
 
 
 
 
©TBS 2018 - All rights reserved  Rev. TZS 116:1981 AFDC 5(6097) P3  
 
 
 
5.4 Name and address  
 
The name and address of the manufacturer, packer, distributor, importer, exporter of the food additives 
shall be declared.  
 
5.5 Country of origin  
(a) The country of origin of a food additive shall be declared if its omission is likely to 
mislead or deceive the consumer.  
 
 
(b) When a food additive undergoes proces sing in a second country which changes its 
chemical or physical nature, the country in which the processing is performed shall be 
considered to be the country of origin for the purposes of labeling.  
 
5.6 Lot identification  
 
Each container shall be marked in code or in clear to identify the producing factory and the lot.  
 
 
6   Presentation of information  
 
6.1 General  
 
Statements required to appear on the label by virtue of this standard shall be clear, prominent and 
readily legible by the consumer under nor mal conditions of purchase and use. Such information shall 
not be obscured by designs or by other written, printed or graphic matter and shall be contrasting 
ground to that of the background. The letters in the name of the food additives shall be in a size  
reasonably related to the most prominent printed matter on the label. Where the container is covered by 
a wrapper, the wrapper shall  carry the necessary information, or the label on the container shall be 
readily legible through the outer wrapper or not obscured by it. In general the name and net contents of 
the food additive shall appear on that portion of the label normally intended to be presented to the 
consumer at the time of sale.  
 
6.2 Language  
 
The language used for the declaration of the statement s referred to in 6.1 shall be in English and/or 
Kiswahili. If the language on the original label is other than the above, a supplementary label containing 
the information in English and/or Kiswahili  may be used instead  of relabeling.  
 
 
7   Additional or d ifferent requirements for specific food additives  
 
Nothing in this standard shall be preclude the adoption of additional or different provisions in a 
Tanzanian Standard, in  respect of labeling, where the circumstances of a particular food additive would 
justify their incorporation in that standard.  
 
 
 
 
 Rev. TZS 116:1981 AFDC 5(6097) P3  
 
 
 
8     Optional labelling  
 
8.1 General  
 
Any information or pictorial device may be displayed n labeling provided that it is not in conflict with the 
requirement nor would mislead or deceive the consumer in any way whatever in respect of the food 
additive.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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