UNCONTROLLED alcohol consumption, including mixing alcohol with inappropriate substances, is a pervasive problem in the alcohol business countrywide, a key regulator has affirmed.

Dr Ashura Katunzi, the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) director general, says the regulator has conducted a market risk assessment on alcoholic beverages and discovered a high level of risky alcohol sold and used without restraint.

“As a result, TBS has begun collaborating with other regulatory authorities to ensure that alcoholic beverages are available in a safe environment and consumed responsibly,” he said, raising alarm that excessive drinking among young people “could pose serious risks over the next 20 years.”

The assessment was carried out in the first months of the current financial year, involving up to 400 respondents, with evaluation involving inspecting alcoholic products available in the market and conducting tests to assess their quality and safety.

“The main issue we face is not necessarily the poor quality of alcoholic products but unsafe consumption habits. People are drinking beyond the recommended limits or mixing alcohol with substances that shouldn’t be added. Additionally, alcohol is too readily available,” she stated.

TBS has taken measures by monitoring the situation and working with other authorities to ensure that alcoholic beverages are accessible in a safe and controlled manner, working with the Health ministry as well as Regional Administration and Local Governments wing of the President’s Office (PO-RALG).

If the trend of excessive alcohol consumption among young people is maintained, Tanzania could face a serious health and social crisis in the next two decades, she said, highlighting that TBS has drafted recommendations from the assessment, suggesting how alcohol should be sold to prevent uncontrolled availability and the consequences.

During 2022/23 and 2023/24, tests on alcoholic products purchased from the market showed that most products met the required standards but some products were found to have lower alcohol content than advertised.

“For instance, a spirit expected to have 45percent alcohol was found to contain only 40percent alcohol,” she said in the illustration.

Product inspections conducted by TBS showed that in the July - December 2024 period the agency removed substandard products of a total 1.5bn/- from the market and destroyed them.

 “The government is not in the business of increasing poverty among Tanzanians. TBS is responsible for ensuring that Tanzanians are safe. If you find that a product is substandard, do not buy it. As consumers, we create demand for low-quality products,” she stated.

Over the past four years, TBS has registered 31,592 production, sales, distribution and storage facilities for food and cosmetics to ensure they meet quality and safety standards, thereby protecting public health.

Imported goods inspection had TBS examining 18,588 consignments and 162,160 vehicles entering the country, to prevent Tanzania from becoming a dumping ground for inferior products and to safeguard consumer health, safety and the environment, the director added.