Tanzania has adopted new national standards for ginger and turmeric tonic drinks, establishing mandatory specifications for composition, labeling, and quality in the ZNS 781: 2025 specification.<\/p>\n
Tanzania\u2019s standards agency has adopted mandatory national rules for ginger and turmeric tonic drinks, setting limits on ingredients, labelling and shelf life that take effect on 1 April 2026<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The new standard, ZNS 781:2025, applies to every bottle sold in the country, whether made locally or imported. The delivered cost of compliance falls on the company selling the drink\u2014producers pay for testing, importers pay for certification, and both must cover any relabelling or reformulation needed to meet the new limits.<\/p>\n It comes after a year-long notification to the World Trade Organization and replaces an earlier draft that left several thresholds open. The final text closes those gaps, but leaves one administrative question unanswered: how the agency will allocate the limited number of testing slots available each month.<\/p>\n The specification sets minimum levels for the two active ingredients\u20140.5 grams of ginger extract per 100 millilitres<\/strong> and 0.3 grams of turmeric extract per 100 millilitres<\/strong>1<\/a><\/sup>. It also caps total sugars at 10 grams per 100 millilitres<\/strong>, a ceiling that will force some local brands to reformulate1<\/a><\/sup>. Preservatives are allowed, but only those already approved under Tanzania\u2019s general food-additive rules, and each must be listed on the label by its common name1<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n Every bottle must now carry a batch number<\/strong>, a production date, and a best-before date no more than 18 months after manufacture1<\/a><\/sup>. Labels must also state the country of origin in letters at least 3 millimetres high, a requirement that will add a step for importers who currently use regional distribution hubs1<\/a><\/sup>. The standard does not require bilingual labelling, but the agency has warned that any English text must be accompanied by a Swahili translation if the product is sold in areas where English is not widely understood2<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n Testing is mandatory for every new batch, whether produced in Tanzania or shipped in. The Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) runs the only accredited laboratory for the new tests, and its published fee schedule shows a charge of TSh 450,000 ($170) per sample<\/strong>3<\/a><\/sup>. Importers must pay this fee before the shipment is released from the port, and local producers must pay it before the batch can be sold3<\/a><\/sup>. The agency has not said how many samples it can process each month, raising the possibility that delays at the laboratory could hold up shipments during peak demand periods.<\/p>\nWhat the standard covers<\/h2>\n
Ingredient limits, grams per 100 ml<\/h4>\n
Who pays for compliance<\/h2>\n
What TBS charges for<\/h4>\n