DEAS 58:2019  
ICS 65.120  
 
© EA C 2019                                                                                                                               2nd Edition 2019   
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
Dog f ood — Specification   
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  
 DEAS 58: 2019  
ii © EAC 2019  – All rights reserved  
 Copyright notice  
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Reproduction for sales purposes may be subject to royalty payments or a licensing agreement.  
Violators may be prosecuted . DEAS 58 : 2019  
© EAC 2019  – All rights reserved  iii 
 Contents  Page 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  iv 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  2 
4 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  2 
4.1 General quality requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  2 
4.2 Specific requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  3 
5 Contaminants  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  3 
5.1 Aflatoxin  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  4 
5.2 Pesticide residues  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ . 4 
5.3 Heavy metal  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............  4 
6 Hygiene  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  5 
7 Weights and measures  ................................ ................................ ................................ .........................  5 
8 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  5 
9 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  5 
10 Sam pling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  5 
Annex  A (normative)  Dog food ingredients  ................................ ................................ ................................ .... 6 
A.1 Grain products  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....... 6 
A.2 Animal products  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .... 6 
A.3 Plant products (other than cereal based)  ................................ ................................ ...........................  7 
A.4 Industrial by -products ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  7 
A.5 Other ingredients  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ... 7 
Annex  B (informative)  Requirements for trace elements and vitamins in dog food  ................................ .. 8 
Bibliography  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  12 
 DEAS 58: 2019  
iv © EAC 2019  – All rights reserved  
 Foreword  
Development of the East African Standards has been necessitated by the need for harmonizing requirements 
governing quality of products and services in the East African Community. It is envisaged that through 
harmonized standardization, trade barriers that are encountered when goods and services are exchanged 
within the Community will be removed.  
The Community has established an East African Standards Committee  (EASC)  mandated to develop and 
issue  East African Standards  (EAS) . The Committee is composed of representatives of the National 
Standards Bodies in Partner States, together with the representatives from the public and private sector 
organizations  in the community .  
East African Standards are  developed through  Technical Committees that are representative of key 
stakeholders including government, academia, consumer groups, private sector and other interested parties. 
Draft East African Standards are circulated to stakeholders through the Nation al Standards Bodies in the 
Partner States. The comments received are discussed and incorporated before finalization of standards, in 
accordance with the Principles and procedures for development of East African Standards.  
East African Standards are subject  to review, to keep pace with technological advances. Users of the East 
African Standards are therefore expected to ensure that they always have the latest versions of the standards 
they are implementing .  
The committee responsible  for this document is Tec hnical Committee EASC /TC 001, Animal feeds and 
feeding stuffs . 
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be subject of patent 
rights. EAC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights . 
This second  edition cancels and replaces the first edition ( EAS 53:2000 ), which has been technically rev ised.  
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  DEAS 58 :2019  
 
© EAC 2019  – All rights reserved  1 
 Dog f ood — Specification  
1 Scope   
This Draft East African Standard specifies requirements, sampling and test methods for dog food.  
2 Normative  references   
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some 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.  
IS0 5510, Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of available lysine  
ISO 5983 -1, Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of nitrogen content and calculation of crude protein 
content — Part 1: Kjeldah l method  
ISO 5984, Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of crude ash  
ISO 5985, Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of ash insoluble in hydrochloric acid  
ISO 6490 -1, Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of calcium content — Part 1: Titrimetric method  
ISO 6491, Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of phosphorus content — Spectrometric method  
ISO 6492, Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of fat content  
ISO 6495, Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of water -soluble chlorides content  
ISO 6496, Animal fe eding stuffs — Determination of moisture and other volatile matter content  
ISO 6497, Animal feeding stuffs — Sampling  
ISO 6865, Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of crude fibre content — Method with intermediate filtration  
ISO 9831, Animal feeding stuf fs, animal products, and faeces or urine — Determination of gross calorific value 
— Bomb calorimeter method  
ISO 13903, Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of amino acids content  
ISO 14718, Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of aflatoxin B1 content of mixed feeding stuffs — Method 
using high -performance liquid chromatography  
ISO 17375, Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of aflatoxin B1  
ISO 16050, Foodstuffs — Determination of aflatoxin B1, and the total content of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 
in cere als, nuts and derived products — High-performance liquid chromatographic method   
2 © EAC 2019  – All rights reserved  
 ISO 27085,  Animal feeding stuff — Determination of calcium, sodium, phosphorous, magnesium, potassium, 
iron, zinc, copper, manganese, cobalt, molybdenum, arsenic, lead and cadm ium by ICP -AES 
EAS 38, Labelling of pre -packaged foods — General requirements  
3 Terms and definitions   
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.  
ISO and 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  
puppy food  
food meant for a young dog less than 1 year old  
3.2  
adult dog food  
food meant for mature dogs more than 1 year old  
3.3  
lactating  dog food  
food meant for whelping dog  
3.4  
working/ active dog food  
food meant for speciality dogs  
4 Requirements  
4.1 General quality requirements  
4.1.1  All ingredients and raw materials shall not be decomposed or deteriorated and shall comply with the 
relevant East Af rican standards. The common feed stuffs described in Annex A and their nutrient composi tion 
provided in Annex B may be used for purposes of formulating  dog food . 
4.1.2  Where soy bean meal is used, it shall have been subjected to adequate heat tr eatment to reduce the 
activity of trypsin inhibitor  
4.1.3  Ingredients of animal origin shall be sterilised before use.  
4.1.4  Vitamin preparations added to feed shall be in stabilised form.  
4.1.5  Urea or any other nitrogenous substances shall not be added t o or included in any dog food  except 
such true protein and amino acids as required in t his standard.  
4.1.6   Dog food  shall:  
a) be either in fo rm of a meal (mash) or pellets  or snacks/bites  
b) either dry or wet, raw or precooked  
c) be palatable;  
d) be free from harmful  levels of substances such as metallic objects, and adulterants ;  
© EAC 2019  – All rights reserved  3 
 e) not be, musty, rancid and shall not have any objectionable odours; and  
f) be free from fungi, pathogenic microorganisms or insect infestation.  
4.2 Specific requirements   
4.2.1  Dog f oods shall co nform to the requirements specified in Table 1  when tested in accordance with the  
test methods specified  therein.  
4.2.2  Dog feeds shall contain vitamins and minerals specified in Tables 2 and 3.  
Table 1 — Requirements for dog feeds  
S/No Parameter  Requireme nt Test method  
Adult  dog 
food  Puppy and 
lactating dog  Working dog 
food  
i Metabolizable 
energy,  min. 
kcal/kg  3600  3600  3600  
ISO 9831  
ii Moisture, % m/m, 
max. 10.0 10.0 10.0 ISO 6496  
iii Crude protein 
(N×6.25) , % m/m, 
min. 20.0 25.0 26 ISO 5983 -1 
iv Crude fat, % m/m, 
min. 5.5 12 12 ISO 6492  
v Crude fibre, % 
m/m, m ax. 6.5 4 6.5 ISO 6865  
vi Crude ash, % m/m, 
max.  12.0 12.0 12.0 ISO 5984  
vii *Calcium, % m/m, 
min. 0.50 1.0 1.0 ISO 6490 -1 
viii *Phosphorus, % 
m/m, min.  0.70 0.7 0.70 ISO 6491  
ix potassi um, % m/m, 
min. 0.50 0.5 0.5 ISO 27085  
x Sodium, % m/m, 
min. 0.10 0.1 0.1 ISO 27085  
xi Chloride, % m/m, 
min. 0.15 0.2 0.15 ISO 6495  
xii Magnesium, % 
m/m, min.  0.07 0.07 0.07 ISO 27085  
Ca / P ratio*  1/1 – 2/1 1/1 – 1.6/1    
 
5 Feed additives  and provisi ons related to their use  
5.1 Additives in the following categories may be used in dog food  and if used, they shall comply with the 
requirements given in Annex C.  
a) antioxidants;   
4 © EAC 2019  – All rights reserved  
 b) colourants;  
c) emulsifiers;  
d) stabilisers;  
e) thickeners and gelling agents;  
f) binders ; 
g) anti-caking agents and coagulants;  
h) aromatic and appetising substances;  
i) enzymes; and  
j) preservatives.  
NOTE  Materials intended for mixing with animal feed as additives for use as feeding stuffs should specify the kind of 
and, if appropriate the age group of the animal for which the feed is intended. In addition, the quantity in grams per 
kilogram (or percentage by weight) of the complete feed /food  which conform to the provisions of this standard should be 
stated in the label (see also Clause 9).  
5.2 No ant ibiotic, hormone substance, drug or mineral shall be added to or included in a f ood d other than 
such ingredients required to satisfy this standard and approved by World organization for animal health (OIE).  
6 Contaminants  
6.1 Aflatoxin  
Aflatoxin contami nation shall not be more than 5  ppb for B 1 and 10  ppb for total aflatoxin . when tested with 
ISO 16050  
6.2 Pesticide  residues  
Dog food shall comply with maximum limits for pesticide residues stated in Codex Alimentarius Commission . 
6.3 Heavy metal  
Dog food shall be free from heavy met als in amounts that  may represent a hazard to animals and shall comply 
with the maximum limits of heavy metals as specified in Table 3 when tested in accordance with the  test 
methods specified therein  
Table 2  — Limits for heavy metals in dog food  
S/No Heav y metal  Maximum limit  
mg/kg  Test method  
i Arsenic  2.0  
ISO 27085  ii Lead  5.0 
iii Cadmium  1.0 
  
© EAC 2019  – All rights reserved  5 
 7 Hygiene  
7.1 Dog food shall be prepared in accordance with CAC/RCP 54  
7.2 Dog food shall conform to the maximum microbiological limits specified in Tabl e 2 when tested in 
accordance with the test methods specified therein.  
Table 2  — Microbiological limits in dog food  
S/No  Microorganism  Limit , max. Test method  
i Salmonella spp , cfu/g  Absent  ISO 6579 -1 
ii Eschericea coli, cfu/g  Absent  ISO 16649 -1 
 
8 Weights and measures  
Dog food shall be weighed according to the weights and measures regulation of the destination country . 
9 Packaging  
Dog food  shall be packaged in suitable containers that are of sufficient strength, and sufficiently sealed to 
withstand re asonable handling without tearing, bursting or falling open. The containers shall be clean and not 
previously used . 
10 Labelling   
In addition to the requirements in EAS 38, each package shall be legibly and indelibly labelled with the 
following:  
a) expiry dat e; 
b) name of the feed for example ― X-Dog food‖, and  X shall be the specific category ; 
c) declared pro portions of crude protein , crude fat, phosphorus and calcium;  
d) name and physical address  of the manufacturer ; 
e) instructions for use and precautions ; 
f) net weight i n metric units;  
g) batch number /lot identification;  
h) manufacturing date ; and  
i) storage instru ctions . 
11 Sampling  
Sampling shall be done in accordance with ISO 6497 .  
6 © EAC 2019  – All rights reserved  
 Annex  A 
(normative)  
 
Dog food ingredients  
The following ingredients may be used in the manufact ure of dog food: 
A.1 Grain products  
 Maize flour ; 
 Wheat flour ; 
 Oat flour ; 
 Pollard ; 
 Barley ; 
 Wheat bran ; 
 Wheat germ ; 
 Rice; 
 Sorghum ; 
 Maize germ meal ; and  
 Maize bran . 
A.2 Animal products  
 Bonemeal ; 
 Blood meal ; 
 Meat/bonemeal ; 
 Meat meal ; 
 Offal meals (treated) ; 
 Dried skimmed milk ; 
 Dry whey ; 
 Cheese meal ; 
 Poultry by -products (excluding manure) ;  
© EAC 2019  – All rights reserved  7 
  Hydrolysed feather meal ; 
 Fishmeal ; and  
 Whole milk . 
A.3 Plant products (other than cereal based ) 
 Soybean meal  
 Alfalfa meal (lucerne meal)  
 dried grass meal  
 Potatoes (solanum tube rosum)  
A.4 Industrial by -products  
 Sunflower cakes ; 
 Brewer's yeast and dried grains ; and  
 Sugarcane molasses . 
A.5 Other ingredients  
 Common salt  
 Dicalcium phosphate (flou rine content not to exceed 0.2 %  
 Calcium lactate  
 Limestone  
 Vitamin and mineral premixes   
8 © EAC 2019  – All rights reserved  
 Annex  B 
(informative)  
 
Requirement s for trace elements  and v itamins  in dog food  
Table B.1 — Requirement s for trace elements  in dog food  
S/No  Mineral  Requirement  
Adult  dog Puppy and 
lactating dog  Working d og 
i Iron, mg, min.  3.60 8.80 8.80 
ii Copper, mg, min.  0.72 1.10 1.10 
iii Manganese, mg, min.  0.58 0.56 0.56 
iv Zinc, mg, min.  7.20 10.0 10.0 
v Iodine, mg, min.  0.11 0.15 0.15 
vi Selenium, µg, min.  30.0 35.0 35.0 
 
 
Table B.2 — Requirements for vitamins in dog food   
S/No  Mineral  Requirement  
Adult  dog Puppy and 
lactating dog  Working dog  
i Vitamin A, IU, min.  500 500 500 
ii Vitamin D, IU, min.  50.0 55.2 55.2 
iii Vitamin E, IU, min.  3.60 5.00 5.00 
iv Thiamine (B 1), mg, min.  0.23 0.14 0.14 
v Riboflavin (B 2), mg, min.  0.60 0.53 0.53 
vi Pantothenic acid, mg, min.  1.00 1.50 1.50 
vii Pyridoxine (B 6), mg, min.  0.15 0.15 0.15 
viii Niacin, mg, min.  1.10 1.70 1.70 
ix Choline, mg, min.  120 170 170 
x Vitamin B 12, µg, min.  2.20 3.50 3.50 
xi Folic aci d, µg, min.  18.0 27.0 27.0  
© EAC 2019  – All rights reserved  9 
 ANNEX C  
(normative )  
 
Recommended additives used in Dog food  
C.1 Requirements  for a ntioxidants  in Dog food  
Dog food  shall contain no added antioxidant other than an antioxidant of a name or description specif ied in the 
first co lumn of T able .1 or any other antioxidant as shall be approved by OIE . Where an antioxidant i s added  
should not exceed the maximum content, if any, specified in the second column of the Table C.1. 
Table C.1 — Requirements  for a ntioxidants  in Dog food  
Name or description  Maximum content  in complete 
feed stuff , mg/kg  
L-Ascorbic acid  
Sodium L -ascorbate  
Calcium di (L -ascorbate)  
5,6-Diacetyl -L-ascorbic acid  
6-Palmitoyl -L-ascorbic acid  
Tocopherol -rich extracts of a natural origin  
Synthetic alpha -tocopherol  
Synthetic gamma -tocopherol  
Synthetic delta -tocopherol  GMP  
Propyl gallate  
Octyl gallate  
Dodecyl gallate  100, singly or in combination  
Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA)  150 
C.2 Requirements  for e mulsifiers, stabilisers, thickeners and gelling  agents   
C.2.1 Gener al 
Dog food  shall contain no added emulsifier, stabiliser, thickener or gelling agent other than an emulsifier, 
stabiliser, thickener or gelling agent of a name or description, specified in C.2.2 and C.2.3 any other 
emulsifier, stabiliser, thickener or gel ling agent as shall be approved by OIE . 
C.2.2 Name or description  
Lecithins; Alginic acid; Sodium alginate; Potassium alginate; Ammonium alginate Calcium alginate; 
Prophylene glycol alginate (propane - 1,1-diol alginate) Agar; Carrageenan; Furcellaran; Locu st bean gum 
(carob gum); Tamarind seed flour Gurar gum (gua flour); Tragacanth; Acacia (gum Arabic); Zanthan gum; D -
glucitol (sorbitol); mannitol; Glycerol; Pectins; microcrystalline cellulose; Methylcellulose; Ethylcellulose; 
Hydroxylpropyl cellulose;Hydo rxyprophylmethylcellulose; Ethylmethlcellulose; Carboxymethylcellulose;sodium 
salt; Sodium, potassium and calcium salts or edible fatty acids alone or in mixtures, derived from edible fat or 
distilled fatty acids Monoacyl and diacylglycerols esterified wit h the following acids: (a) acetic (b) lactic (c) citric 
(d) tartaric (e) monoacetylatartaric and (f) diacetyltartaric.   
10 © EAC 2019  – All rights reserved  
 C.2.3 Sucrose esters or fatty acids  
C.2.3.1  The following sucrose esters fatty acids may be added to Dog food : 
a) mixture of sucrose esters of monocyl and diacylglycerols (sucroglycerides, polyglycerides);  
b) polyglycerol esters of non -polymerised edible fatty acids;  
c) propylene glycol esters of fatty acids (propane -1,2-diol esters of fatty acids);  
d) stearoyl -2-lactylic acid; sodium stearoyl -1,2-lacylate; calcium stearoyl -1,2-lactylate;  
e) stearoyl -1-tartrate; glycerol poly (ethylene glycol) ricinolcate; dextrans; sorbitan monostearate;  
f) sorbitan tristearte; sorbitan monolaurate; sorbitan mono -eleate; sorbitan monopalmitate;  
g) partial polyglycerol esters of  polycondensed fatty acids of castor oil (polyglycerol polyricinoleate) 
polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monolaurate;  
h) polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monopalmitate, polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monostearate;  
i) polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan tristearate, polyoxyet hylene (20) sorbitan monocleate;  
j) polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan tricleate, polyoxyethylene (8) sorbitan stearate; and  
k) polyoxyethylene (40) stearate.  
D.2.3.2  The emulsifiers, stabilisers, thickeners and gelling agents listed in Table D.2 shall conform to the  
requirement therein.  
Table C.2 — Requirements for emulsifiers, stabilisers, thickeners and gelling agents  in Dog food  
Name or description  Maximum content in complete feed , mg/kg  
Poly (ethylene glycol) 6  000 300 
Polyoxypropylene -polyoxyethelene polymer  
(M.W 6  800 - 9 000) 50 
Propane -1-2-diol  12 000 
36 000 
C.3 Requirements  for b inders, anti-caking agents and coagulants  
C.3.1 General  
Dog food  shall contain no added binder, anti -caking agent or coagulant other than a binder, anti -caking agent 
or coagul ant of a nam e or description specified in D.3 .2. 
C.3.2 Name or description  
Lignosulphonates; Colloidal silica; Silicic acid, precipitate and dried; Sodium aluminosilicate, Sodium,  
potassium and calcium stearate; Kaolin and Kaslinitic clays free of asbestos - natural accruing mixtures of 
minerals containing at least 65  % complex hydrated aluminium silicates whose main constituent in Kasolinite; 
Bentonite and other montmerillonitee clays; Vermiculite -hydrated silicate of magnesium, aluminium and iron; 
Citric a cid; Kieselguhr (diatomaceous earth, purified); Calcium silicate (synthetic); Natural mixtures of steatite 
and chlorite free of asbestos.   
© EAC 2019  – All rights reserved  11 
 C.4 Requirements  for a romatic and appetising substances  
Dog food  shall contain no added aromatic or appetising substan ce other than an aromatic or appetising 
substance of a name or description specified in Table D.3  and taking account of any such substance which is 
naturally present, without exceed ing the maximum content specified.  
Table C.3 — Requirements for aromatic a nd appetising substances  
Name or description  Maximum  content  in complete feed , 
mg/kg  
Saccharin  
All natural products and corresponding 
synthetic products   
GMP  
 
 
  
12 © EAC 2019  – All rights reserved  
 Bibliography  
EAS 53:2000 , Dog feed specification  
 EAS 58: 2019    
 
© EAC 2019 – All rights rese rved