Tunisia
General Requirements for Imports
Food and Feed Safety Law: sets legal requirements for the safe handling of primary production and processing of foodstuffs in order to ensure a high level of consumer health protection. The National Agency of Sanitary and Environmental Control Products (ANCSEP) is charged as the competent authority for food safety risk assessment including food safety assessment.
The Law sets general hygiene standards, health conditions and requirements, and other standards related to marketing, preparation, and sale of food for all food imports. This law applies to primary production, processing, transportation and distribution of food and feed. It sets the principles of risk analysis, the organization of official controls, the rapid alert system and crisis management.
Law 99-24: sets the veterinary and sanitary controls of animals and animal products.
The veterinary checks involve a documentary control, a physical check and a control of identity.
Law 92-117: concerns consumer protection, more specifically it gives information about consumers and product guarantee.
Law 94-41: allows importers to operate under a free-import regime without first requiring prior authorization via an import license. Products not under the free-import regime require an import authorization granted by the Ministry of Trade that generally lasts for one year.
Decree 94-1743: establishes the modalities for importers operating under the free-import regime. To obtain a license, a number of documents are required, such as the commercial contract, as well al information about the contracting parties, the products, their origin and where they come from.
Additives, contaminants, antimicrobials and residues
Tunisian standard NT 117-01: governs the use of additives. It provides a list of authorized additives (positive list), their conditions of use as well as their respective identification (E-numbers).
Law 92-72 and Law 99-5: regulating the use of contaminants and pesticides. They must be imported by an approved importer in accordance with the Book of Specifications (Cahier des Charges). The pesticide must also be registered and officially authorized by the Ministry of Agriculture’s official laboratory Laboratoire de Contrôle et d’Analyse des Pesticides. The registration procedure takes two years, including one year of experimentation.
Tunisian Standard NT 117-03: setting maximum residue limits of contaminants, heavy metals and pesticides.
Veterinary drug MRLs are set internally within the Ministry of Agriculture and they are not public available.
Microbiological and organic criteria
Food and Feed Safety Law: provides guidance about the microbiological maximum limits in foodstuffs.
Labelling and packaging
Decree 2003 – 1718: provides guidance about the necessary requirements and standards for packaging.
Ministry of Trade’s Order (September 3, 2003): provides guidance about labelling requirements.
The following components are mandatory on labelling:
- Product name;
- Ingredients, including the full list in descending order of prevalence and allergens clearly labelled;
- Net weight using metric units of volume for liquids and weight for non-liquids;
- Date of production and shelf life shall be listed as: day/month/year;
- Date limit for use or date limit for optimum use, as well as any specific conditions of safety and use;
- Name or the trade name and the complete address of the manufacturer or the packager;
- Number of the lot;
- Place of origin; and
- Storage instructions, such as “keep in cool place, protect from light or from dampness” must be indicated when necessary, and important use instructions in the case their omission does not allow appropriate use.
The labels shall be fixed in a way that they cannot be detached from the container. Arabic language is required on the label.
Traceability
Law 94-86: addresses market distribution channels and retail services.
Food and Feed Safety Law: establishes a Community control system for ensuring compliance with the rules of the common fisheries policy. The Law provides guidance about imported food subject to traceability and the need of application for registration.
How do you find the most recent consolidated version of the regulations?
https://aqualex.fao.org/?country=TUN