DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  
  DUS 2146  
First  Edition  
2019 
 
 
 Reference number  
DUS 2146 : 2019 
© UNBS 2019   
  
Edible insect s — Specification  
 DUS 2146 : 2019  
ii © UNBS 2019  – All rights reserved  
 Compliance with this standard does not, of itself confer immunity from legal obligations  
A Uganda Standard does not purport to include all necessary provisions of a contract. Users are 
responsible for its correct applicati on 
© UNBS 2019  
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Web: www.unbs.go.ug  DUS 2146 :2019  
© UNBS 2019  – All rights reserved  iii 
 Contents  Page 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  iv 
Introduction  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............. Error! Bookmark not defined.  
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  1 
2 Conformance  ................................ ................................ ............................. Error! Bookmark not defined.  
3 Norm ative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  1 
4 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  1 
5 Symbols (and abbreviated terms)  ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  2 
6 Clause  ................................ ................................ ................................ ......... Error! Bookmark not defined.  
6.1 Subclause (level  1) ................................ ................................ .................... Error! Bookmark not defined.  
6.1.1 Subclause (level  2) ................................ ................................ .................... Error! Bookmark not defined.  
6.1.2 Subclause (level  2) ................................ ................................ .................... Error! Bookmark not defined.  
6.2 Subclause (level  1) ................................ ................................ .................... Error! Bookmark not defined.  
7 Clause  ................................ ................................ ................................ ......... Error! Bookmark not defined.  
8 Special  ................................ ................................ ................................ ........ Error! Bookmark not  defined.  
Annex  A (normative)   Annex title  ................................ ................................ ................................ .......................  5 
A.1 General  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  5 
A.2 Clause  ................................ ................................ ................................ ......... Error! Bookmark not defined.  
A.2.1 Subclause (level  1) ................................ ................................ .................... Error! Bookmark not defined.  
A.2.2 Subclause (level  1) ................................ ................................ .................... Error! Bookmark not defined.  
A.3 Clause  ................................ ................................ ................................ ......... Error! Bookmark not defined.  
Annex  B (informative)   Which styles correspond to which element  — Quick reference guide Error! Bookmark not defined.  
Bibliography  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................  8 
 DUS 2146 : 2019  
iv © UNBS 2019  – All rights reserved  
 Foreword  
Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is a parastatal under the Ministry of Trade , Industry and 
Cooperatives established under Cap 327 , of the Laws of Uganda , as amended .  UNBS is mandated to co -
ordinate the elab oration of standards and is  
(a) a member of International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and  
(b) a contact point for the WHO/FAO Codex Alimentarius Commission on Food Standards, and  
(c) the National Enquiry Point on TBT  Agreement  of the World Trade Organisa tion (WTO).  
The work of preparing Uganda Standards is carried out through Technical Committees. A Technical 
Committee is established to deliberate on standards in a given field or area and consists of key stakeholders 
including government, academia, consum er groups, private sector and other interested parties.  
Draft Uganda Standards adopted by the Technical Committee are widely circulated to stakeholders and the 
general public for comments. The committee reviews the comments before recommending the draft s tandards 
for approval and declaration as Uganda Standards by the National Standards Council.  
The committee responsible for this document is Technical Committee UNBS /TC 2, Food and agriculture  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 DUS 2146 :2019  
© UNBS 2019  – All rights reserved  v 
 Introduction  
Entomophagy (the practice of eating  insects) as well as their use in livestock and pet feeds  are increasing 
world -wide (Ssepuuya, Mukisa & Nakimbugwe, 2016).  People throughout the world have been eating insects 
as a regular part of their diets for millennia. The earliest citing of entomoph agy can be found in biblical 
literature; nevertheless, in some societies there remains a degree of disdain and disgust for their consumption 
(FAO, n.d). In Uganda, the most commonly consumed insects are termites (Macrotermes Spp) and 
grasshoppers (Ruspolia  nitidula), consumed among many cultures. These insects though seasonal, form an 
important part of Ugandan diets since time immemorial (Mbabazi, Byaruhanga, & Omara, 2011). These 
insects are not only an emergency resource but are appreciated as palatable a nd tasty. A lot more species of 
edible insects are consumed in Africa (Annex 1).  
Edible insects have been well -recognized worldwide as nutritious food, they provide proteins (amino acids 
such as methionine, cysteine, lysine, and threonine), carbohydrate, fats, some minerals (calcium, iron, zinc, 
phosphorous), some essential vitamins –vitamin A, B complex, C (Johnson, 2010). Although the majority of 
edible insects are gathered in forest habitats, mass -rearing systems are being developed in many countries. 
Edible insects offer a significant opportunity to merge traditional knowledge and modern science to improve 
human food security worldwide. Given the increasing trade in edible insects and their products in Uganda, 
there is need for standards to regulate thei r quality  
  DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  DUS 2146 : 2019  
 
© UNBS 2019  – All rights reserved  1 
 Edible insect — Specification  
1 Scope   
This Draft Uganda standard specifies the requirements, sampling and test methods for edible  insect s. 
2 Normative references   
The following referenced documents referred to in the text in such a way that s ome or all of their content 
constitutes requirements 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.  
US ISO 6496 , Animal feedi ng stuffs -- Determination of moisture and other volatile matter content  
US ISO 5983 -1, Animal feeding stuffs -- Determination of nitrogen content and calculation of crude protein 
content -- Part 1: Kjeldahl method   
US ISO 6492 , Animal feeding stuffs -- Determination of fat content  
US ISO 5984 , Animal feeding stuffs -- Determination of crude ash  
US ISO 5985 , Animal feeding stuffs -- Determination of ash insoluble in hydrochloric acid  
US ISO 4833 -1, Microbiology of the food chain -- Horizontal method for the  enumeration of microorganisms -- 
Part 1: Colony count at 30 degrees C by the pour plate technique  
US EAS 38, Labelling of pre -packaged foods — General requirements  
US EAS 39, Hygiene in the food and drink manufacturing industry — Code of practice  
US 45 , General standard for food additives  
US ISO 4832  Microbiology of food and animal feeding s tuffs -- Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
coliforms -- colony -count technique  
US ISO 16649 , Microbiology of foo d and animal feeding stuffs -- Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
beta-glucuronidase -positive Escherichia  coli -- part 2: colony -count tec hnique at 44 degrees c using 5 -Bromo -
4-chloro -3-indolyl beta -d-glucuronide  
ISO 6888 -3, M icrobiology of foo d and animal feeding stuffs -- Horizontal method for th e enumeration of 
coagulase -positive staphylococci (staphylococcus aureus and other species) -- part 3: detection and MPN 
technique for low numbers  
3 Terms and definitions   
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.   
2 © UNBS 2019  – All rights reserved  
 ISO a nd IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:  
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp  
3.1. 
Whole edible insects   
Edible insects , farmed or wild -harvested, intended for human fo od in their natural form after primary 
processing to minimize contamination  and improve palatability .  
3.2 
Insect powder  
Is a particulate product obtained after milling /grinding  edible insects  
3.3 
Insect paste  
Is a semi solid  product obtained after millin g/grinding  edible insects    
3.4 
extraneous material  
any material tha t is not of that  particular edible insect e.g species, castes,  sand, stones, metallic chips, plant 
parts, pests, etc   
4 Requirement  
4.1 General requirements  
Edible Insect shall be:  
a) in form of either whole or granulated or powder  or paste and either fried or dried  
b) characteristic of the colour of the insect prepared  
c) free from adulterants, extraneous material and objectionable odour.  
d) free from infestation and contamination from pests  
4.2 Ed ible insects may be whole or with  some body parts removed.  
4.3 Acceptable food grade ingredients and seasonings may be used.  
5.0 Specific requirements  
Edible insects shall conform to the specific requirements when tested with the test methods described in  table 
1. 
Table 1: Specific requirements for edible insects  (dried insects and Fried edible insects )  
s/n Parameter  Limits, %, m/m  Test method  
i Moisture Content (max)  13 US ISO 6496  
ii Crude protein, (Min),  20 US ISO 5983 -1 
iii Free fatty acid , max) , mg/g  205  US ISO 6492  
iv Total ash (max)  15 US ISO 5984  
v Acid insoluble ash , (max) , %, m/m  4 ”US ISO 5985  DUS 2146 :2019  
© UNBS 2019  – All rights rese rved 3 
 5 Food additives  
Only the food additives permitted in US 45 standards for food additives may be used  except colourants   
6 Contamination  
6.1 Pesticide  
Edible insects shall comply with the maximum pesticide residue and veterinary residues limits established by 
CODEX Alimentarius commission for similar commodities . 
6.2 Heavy metals  
The maximum content of lead (Pb)  in edible insects flour when dete rmined in accordance with the method 
described in AOAC 972.25 shall not exceed  0.2 mg/kg. The product shall not con tain other heavy metal 
contaminants in amounts which may represent a hazard to health . 
6.3 Aflatoxin  
The maximum content of aflatoxins in  edible insects when determined in accordance with the method 
described in US ISO 16050shall not exceed 5 μg/kg (ppb) for aflatoxin B 1 and 10 μg/kg for total aflatoxins  
7 Hygiene  
7.1  Edible insects shall be produced, prepared and handled in accordance with t he provisions of appropriate 
sections of US EAS 39.   
 
7.2  Edible insect shall conform to the microbial limits stated in table 2:  
 
Table 2: Microbiological requirements for edible insects  
s/n Requirement  Limits  (maximum)  Test method  
i Total plate count,  cfu/g 105 US ISO 4833 -1 
ii Staphylococcus spp , cfu/g  Absent  US ISO 6888 -3, 
iii Eschericia . coli count per g, Max  Absent  US ISO 11866  
iv Salmonella sp , 25g,  Absent  US ISO 6785  
v Yeast and moulds , cfu/g  103 US ISO 661  
 
8 Packaging  
Edible insects  shall be packaged in food grade containers which will safeguard the hygienic, nutritional, and 
organoleptic qualities of the product  
9 Labelling  
In addition to the requirements in US EAS 38, each package shall be legibly and indelibly labelled with the 
followi ng:   
4 © UNBS 2019  – All rights reserved  
 a) The name of the product shall be  Edible insects and the common name of the insect Brand 
name/trade name;  
b) the name and physical address of the manufacturer;  
c) lot identification  
d) net weight in metric units;  
e) date of  manufacture ; 
f) country of origin;  
g) storage  conditions;  
h) list of ingredients  
i) expiry date   
9.2  Nutrition labelling  
The amount of nutrients in edible insects shall be declared on the label in accordance with US EAS 803.  
9.3   Nutrition and health claims  
Edible insects may have claims on the import ance of the micronutrients in nutrition and health. Such claims 
when declared shall be consistent with US EAS 804 and US EAS 805.  
10 Sampling  
Methods of sampling of  edible insects shall be accordance with US EAS 900  DUS 2146 :2019  
© UNBS 2019  – All rights rese rved 5 
 Annex  A 
(normative)  
 
Inventory of most c onsumed insect species in Africa   
Insect order  Species name  Common names  
Lepidoptera  Bunaeaalcinoë (Stoll)  Cabbage tree emperor moth  
 Anaphe panda (Boisduval)  Boisduval silk worm  
Cirinaforda (Westwood)  Pallid emperor moth/shea 
defoliator  
Gonimbrasiabel ina Mopane worm  
Imbrasiaertli (Rebel)  Confused emperor  
Anaphevenata (Butler)  African silk worm  
Cirinabutyrospermi (Vuillot)  Larvae of scarab beetle/ tree 
caterpillar  
Imbrasiaoyemensis (Rougeot)   
Eumetacervina (Druce)  Bag worm  
Gynanisaata (Strand)   
Urotasinope  Tailed emperor  
Dactyloceraslucina (Drury)  Drury’s owl moth  
Platysphinxstigmatica (Mabill)   
Epanaphecarteri (Walsingham)   
Imbrasiaepimethea (Drury)   
Agrius convolvuli  Sweet potato hawkmoth  
Gynanisamaja  Emperor moth  
Imbrasiacytherea  Pine tree emperor moth  
   
Orthoptera  Schistocerca gregaria (Forskål)  Desert locust   
6 © UNBS 2019  – All rights reserved  
 Locustamigratoriamigratorioides  Migratory locust  
Nomadacrisseptemfasciata (Serville)  Red locust  
Locustanapardalina (Walker)  Brown locust  
Anacridiummelanorhodonmelanorhod on(Walker)  Sahelian tree locust  
Acanthacrisruficornis (Fabricius)  Garden locust  
Ruspoliadifferens (Serville)  Bush cricket/katydids, edible 
grasshopper  
Zonocerus variegatus (Linnaeus)  Variegated grasshopper  
Gryllusbimaculatus (De Geer)  Field crickets  
Acheta domesticus  House crickets  
Henicuswhellani (Chopard)   
Brachytrupesmembranaceus (Drury)  Giant cricket/Large African 
cricket  
Gastrimargus africanus (Saussure)  Short horned grasshoppers  
Paracinema tricolor (Thunberg)  Tri-color grasshopper  
 Ruspo lianitidula  Large cone -headed grasshopper  
Coleoptera  Oryctes spp.  Coconut rhinoceros beetle  
Rhynchophorusspp  Palm weevils  
Rhynchophorusphoenicis (Fabricius)  African palm weevil  
Oryctesowariensis (Palisot de Beauvois)   
Goliathus spp.  Goliath beetle  
Augosoma sp.  Centaur Rhino beetle.  
Sternoceraspp   
   
Isoptera  Macrotermesbellicosus (Smeathman)  Mound -building termite  
Macrotermessubhyalinus (Rambur)  Soldier termite  
Macrotermesfalciger (Gerstäcker)  Termite  DUS 2146 :2019  
© UNBS 2019  – All rights rese rved 7 
 Macrotermesnatalensis (Haviland)  Fungus -growing termite  
Macrotermesmossambicus (Hagen)  
(Macrotermesmichaelseni)  African termite  
   
Hymenoptera  Apis mellifera mellifera (Linnaeus)  The Western/European honey 
bee 
A. mellifera adansoni (Latreill)  West African honey bee  
Carebaravidua (Smith)  Black  ant 
Carebaralignata (Westwood)  Minor worker  
Oecophyllalonginoda (Latreille)  Weaver ant  
PolisteshebraeusFabricius and Vespula sp.  Yellow oriental paper wasp and 
common wasps  
   
Hemiptera  Encosternumdelegorguei (Spinola)  Edible stinkbug  
Coridiusvidua tus(Fabricius)  Melon bug  
Agonoscelis versicolor (Fabricius)  Cluster bug  
Agonoscelispubescens (Thunberg)  Sudan millet bug  
Lobaleopardina (Distant)   
   
  
8 © UNBS 2019  – All rights reserved  
 Bibliography  
[1] Johnson D.V., 2010. Proceedings of a workshop on resources and their potential for  development, pp.. 
Bangkok, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific 5 -22. 
[2] Ssepuuya, G., Mukisa, I. & Nakimbugwe, D., 2016. Nutritional composition, quality, and shelf stability 
of processed Ruspolia nitidula (edible grasshoppers). Food Science & N utrition 5(1).  
[3] FAO (n.d). Edible insects: future prospects for food and feed security. 
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=11&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjo9
5uq85jkAhVPUBUIHQMBBAoQFjAKegQIABAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fao.org%2F3%2 Fi3253e%2Fi325
3e01.pdf&usg=AOvVaw3v -7Ml8MO6S_tdH0cB -Y00. Accessed on August 23, 2019.  
[4] Mbabazi, M., Byaruhanga, Y. B. & Omara, T. A., 2011. Edible insects in Eastern and Southern Africa: 
challenges and opportunities. 
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct =j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwidt9P
69ZjkAhVBbFAKHaF8C80QFjADegQIABAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fao.org%2Fag%2Fhumannutrition%
2F25341 -0fd03d8f245773442abd150869408f6a5.pdf&usg=AOvVaw1kvdmlszq5dyeakTLEeJvE. Accessed on 
August 23, 2019.  
[5] Kelemu S., Niassy S., Torto B.,  Fiaboe K., Affognon H., Tonnang H.,  Maniania K. & Ekesi  S., 2015. 
African edible insects for food and feed: inventory, diversity, commonalities and contribution to food security. 
Journal of Insects as Food and Feed: 1 (2) Pages: 103 - 119 
[ DUS 2146 : 2019  
© UNBS 2019  – All rights reserved  9 
 Certification marking  
Products that conform to Uganda standards may be marked with Uganda National Bureau of Standards 
(UNBS) Certification Mark shown in the figure below.  
The use of the UNBS Certification Mark is governed by the S tandards Act, and the Regulations made 
thereunder. This mark can be used only by those licensed under the certification mark scheme operated by 
the Uganda National Bureau of Standards and in conjunction with the relevant Uganda Standard. The 
presence of th is mark on a product or in relation to a product is an assurance that the goods comply with the 
requirements of that standard under a system of supervision, control and testing in accordance with the 
certification mark scheme of the Uganda National Bureau of Standards. UNBS marked products are 
continually checked by UNBS for conformity to that standard.  
Further particulars of the terms and conditions of licensing may be obtained from the Director, Uganda 
National Bureau of Standards.  
 
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