National rules

Can you sell backyard eggs in Tanzania?

Tanzania's Standards Act bars selling or storing food except in premises registered with the Tanzania Bureau of Standards. No small-seller exemption was found. Zanzibar was not researched.

Read from 2 official sources11 passages quotedChecked October 29, 2026

At a glance

Licence

Registration

Small-flock line

No small-seller exemption found in the national rules read

Farmers markets

Needs a licence or isn't exempt

Cartons

Not stated

In plain English

The Standards Act (Revised Edition 2023) says no one may make for sale, sell, supply or store food except in premises registered under the Act, and applications go to the Tanzania Bureau of Standards. The 2021 premises regulations repeat the rule for selling, distributing, supplying or storing food. They list eggs among non-pre-packaged foods, which regulation 12 (headed as an exemption of registration for non-pre-packaged food) excludes from being granted a licence under the Regulations; regulation 12 does not mention premises registration, and section 52 of the Act has no exception. No small-seller exemption was found in the Act's section 52 or regulations 2, 5, 12 and 20. Ask TBS whether selling eggs from your flock needs registered premises.

A sourced reading of the rules in Tanzania, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) before you sell.

Do you need a licence?

Registration requiredNo small-seller exemption found in the national rules read
  • Food may be sold, supplied or stored only in premises registered under the Standards Act.
  • Applications to register or renew premises go to the Tanzania Bureau of Standards on the prescribed form, with the fees it sets.
  • Eggs are listed as non-pre-packaged food: they are excluded from a product licence, but the seller must make sure they meet safety and quality requirements and follow food hygiene requirements in force.
The exact wording
“52.–(1) A person shall not manufacture for sale, sell, supply or store food, food products or cosmetics except in premises registered under this Act.”

Where you can sell

From home or the farm

Needs a licence or isn't exempt

No farm-gate rule or small-seller exemption was found in the national texts checked on 2026-10-29. The Standards Act and the 2021 regulations bar selling or storing food except in registered premises; ask the Tanzania Bureau of Standards how this applies to eggs sold from your home or farm.

Farmers markets

Needs a licence or isn't exempt

No market-specific rule was found in the national texts checked on 2026-10-29; the registered-premises rule covers any sale of food. Local council market rules were not researched.

Stores and restaurants

Not stated

No rule on what shops or restaurants may buy from small egg sellers was found in the national texts checked on 2026-10-29.

Cartons, labels and handling

Cartons

The sources we read don't set a carton rule.

Refrigeration

No egg storage temperature was found in the national texts read. Anyone dealing with non-pre-packaged food, such as eggs, must make sure it meets safety and quality requirements and follow food hygiene requirements in force.

The label must show

Pre-packaged food may not be sold unless the Tanzania Bureau of Standards has registered and certified it. The 2021 regulations list eggs as non-pre-packaged food. No egg label rule was found; Tanzania Standards for eggs were not read.

Grading

Not stated in the sources we read.

Washing

Not stated in the sources we read.

Pricing your dozen? The egg price calculator works it out from your feed bill.

Keeping chickens in Tanzania? →Registration, bird-flu housing orders and welfare rules, on their own page.Registration: conditions

Common questions

Can I sell eggs from my backyard chickens in Tanzania, and do I need a licence?
Tanzania's Standards Act bars selling or storing food except in premises registered with the Tanzania Bureau of Standards. No small-seller exemption was found. Zanzibar was not researched. Small-flock line: no small-seller exemption found in the national rules read. The conditions, and the law they come from, are on this page.
Can I sell eggs at a farmers market in Tanzania?
Needs a licence or isn't exempt. No market-specific rule was found in the national texts checked on 2026-10-29; the registered-premises rule covers any sale of food. Local council market rules were not researched.
Can I reuse egg cartons in Tanzania?
The sources we read do not say; ask the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) before reusing cartons for eggs you sell.
What has to be on the carton label in Tanzania?
In short: Pre-packaged food may not be sold unless the Tanzania Bureau of Standards has registered and certified it. The 2021 regulations list eggs as non-pre-packaged food. No egg label rule was found; Tanzania Standards for eggs were not read.
Do eggs I sell in Tanzania have to be kept cold?
In short: No egg storage temperature was found in the national texts read. Anyone dealing with non-pre-packaged food, such as eggs, must make sure it meets safety and quality requirements and follow food hygiene requirements in force.
Sources
Read the 11 passages this page is built on
  • “[22nd June, 2009] [GN. No. 309 of 2009]”

    Cap. 130 R.E. 2023, ss.2, 26(1), 52 · read 2026-10-29

  • “Bureau” means the Tanzania Bureau of Standards established by section 3;

    Cap. 130 R.E. 2023, ss.2, 26(1), 52 · read 2026-10-29

  • “52.–(1) A person shall not manufacture for sale, sell, supply or store food, food products or cosmetics except in premises registered under this Act.”

    Cap. 130 R.E. 2023, ss.2, 26(1), 52 · read 2026-10-29

  • “(2) Every application for registration or renewal of registration of premises shall be made to the Bureau in the prescribed from, and be accompanied by such fees as the Bureau may prescribed.”

    Cap. 130 R.E. 2023, ss.2, 26(1), 52 · read 2026-10-29

  • “26.–(1) A person who(a) distributes, sells or offers or has in his possession for the purpose of distribution, sale or manufacture for sale; or (b) deposits with or consigns to, any person for the purpose of distribution or sale or manufacture for distribution or sale any food intended, but unfit for human consumption, commits an offence.”

    Cap. 130 R.E. 2023, ss.2, 26(1), 52 · read 2026-10-29

  • “GOVERNMENT NOTICE No. 683 Published On. 24/9/2021”

    GN No. 683 of 2021, regs 2, 5, 12, 20 · read 2026-10-29

  • “non pre-packaged foods” means all farm food produce such as cereals, pulses, roots and tubers, fruits, vegetables, nuts and oil seeds, spices, raw meat and fish, eggs, raw milk which are used as raw materials or for direct human consumption;

    GN No. 683 of 2021, regs 2, 5, 12, 20 · read 2026-10-29

  • “12.-(1) Without prejudice to the generality of these Regulations non-pre-packaged food shall be excluded from being granted licence under these Regulations.”

    GN No. 683 of 2021, regs 2, 5, 12, 20 · read 2026-10-29

  • “(2) Any person dealing with non-pre-packaged food shall ensure that the products comply with all safety and quality requirements and observe food hygiene requirements that may be in force and are recognised under the Act.”

    GN No. 683 of 2021, regs 2, 5, 12, 20 · read 2026-10-29

  • “20.-(1) A person shall not sale, distribute, supply or store food, food product or cosmetics except in a premises registered in accordance with these Regulations.”

    GN No. 683 of 2021, regs 2, 5, 12, 20 · read 2026-10-29

  • “5.-(1) A person shall not sell, manufacture, grant, distribute, expose for sale, provide as gift or offer for sale any pre-packaged food unless it is registered and certified by the Bureau.”

    GN No. 683 of 2021, regs 2, 5, 12, 20 · read 2026-10-29

What we couldn't confirm
  • Zanzibar was not researched. The 2010 livestock registration Act and the Animal Welfare Act say they apply to Mainland Tanzania.
  • The Standards Act is read in its 2023 Revised Edition; a 2024 amending Act was read only for its list of amended sections, which does not include the premises rule.
  • The Animal Diseases Act 2003, the Animal Welfare Act 2008 and the Livestock Identification, Registration and Traceability Act 2010 are read as enacted; each comes into operation by a Gazette notice that was not read, and later amendments were not checked. Regulations were made under the first two in 2019 and 2020.
  • No egg grading, carton or label rule and no egg storage temperature were found in the texts read; Tanzania Standards for eggs were not read.
  • Whether hens kept only for household eggs fall under the 2010 livestock registration duty was not established.
  • Current bird-flu restrictions are not shown here. Under the Animal Diseases Act, the Director of Veterinary Services declares infected areas.
  • Local council by-laws on keeping chickens were not researched.

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