DEAS 103 3: 2020  
ICS 67. 190 
 
© EA C 2020                                                                                                                              1ST Edition 2020  
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
Chocolate and chocolate products — Specification  
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  DEAS 103 3: 2020  
ii © EAC 2020  – All rights reserved  
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 DEAS 103 3: 2020  
© EAC  2020  – All rights reserved  iii 
 Foreword  
Development of the East African Stand ards 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 servic es 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 
Standa rds 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 gove rnment, academia, consumer groups, private sector and other interested parties. 
Draft East African Standards are circulated to stakeholders through the National Standards Bodies in the 
Partner States. The comments received are discussed and incorporated be fore finalization of standards, in 
accordance with the Principles and procedures for development of East African Standards. XXXXXX.  
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 Technical Committee EASC /TC 002, Coffee , Cocoa , Tea and 
related products .  
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.  
 
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  DEAS 103 3:2020  
 
© EAC 2020  – All rights reserved  1 
 Chocolate and chocolate products  — Specification  
1 Scope   
This Draft East Af rican Standard specifies the requirements, sampling and test methods for chocolate and 
chocolate products for human consumption.  
2 Normative references   
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content con stitutes 
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.  
EAS 38, Labelling of pre -packaged foods — General requir ements.  
EAS 39, Hygiene in the food and drink manufacturing industry — Code of practice  
AOAC 963.15,  Fat in Cacao Products  
AOAC 931.05, Cacao Mass (Fat -Free) of Chocolate Liquor  
AOAC 945.34, Fat (Milk) in Milk Chocolate  
AOAC 920.80, Milk Fat in Milk Chocol ate 
AOA C 999.10, Lead, Cadmium, Zinc, Copper, and Iron in Foods — Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry  
after Microwave Digestion  
AOAC 999.11, Determination of Lead, Cadmium, Copper, Iron, and Zinc in Foods  
AOAC 973.34, Cadmium in Food  
AOAC 986.15, Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, Selenium, and Zinc in Human and Pet Foods  
CODEX STAN 234, Methods of Analysis and Sampling  
CODEX STAN 192 , General standard  for food additives  
ISO 16654 , Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the detection of  
Escherichia coli O157  
ISO 6579 -1, Microbiology of the food chain — Horizontal method for the detection, enumeration and 
serotyping of Salmonella — Part 1: Detection of Salmonella spp.  
ISO 21527 -1, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizonta l method for the enumeration of 
yeasts and moulds — Part 1: Colony count technique in products with water activity greater than 0,95  
ISO 21527 -2, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — horizontal method  for the enumeration of 
yeasts and moulds — part 2: colony count technique in products with water activity less than or equal to 0,95   
2 © EAC 2020  – All rights reserved  
 3 Terms and definitions   
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.  
3.1  
chocolate  
homogeneous product obtained from one or more of the following cocoa materials; cocoa nib,  cocoa mass, 
cocoa press cake  or cocoa powder and cocoa butter  
3.2 
chocolate products  
include but not limited to the following : 
3.3 
unsweetened chocolate  
chocolate without the addition of sugars  
3.4  
couverture chocolate  
chocolates with high content cocoa butter that may be used as a covering  
3.5 
sweet (plain) chocolate   
chocolate with the addition of sugars  
3.6  
white  chocolate   
chocolate confection which does not c ontain cocoa solids but is made from cocoa butter, sugar, milk solids  
3.7  
chocolate  a la Taza   
product obtained from cocoa products, sugars, and flour or starch from  wheat, rice or maize,  
 
3.8 
milk chocolate   
chocolate  made of addition of milk ingredien ts in their natural proportions, except that milk fat may be added, 
or removed with the addition of sugars and milk solids  
3.9 
milk couverture chocolate   
chocolate w ith the addition of sugars and milk solids and which is suitable for covering purposes  
3.10   
skimmed milk chocolate   
chocolate with the addition of sugars and skimmed milk solids  
3.11  
skimmed milk couverture chocolate   
chocolate with the addition of sugars and skimmed milk solids and which is suitable for covering purposes  
3.12 
chocolat e vermicelli   
chocolate obtained by mixing, extrusion and hardening technique which gives unique, crisp textural properties 
to the product. With addition of sugars and which is in the form of short, cylindrical grains  
3.13  
chocolate flakes   
chocolate with the addition of sugars and which is in the form of flakes   
© EAC  2020  – All rights reserved  3 
 3.14 
milk chocolate vermicelli    
chocolate with the addition of sugars and milk solids (and which is in the form of grains  
3.15 
milk chocolate flakes   
with the addition of sugars and milk so lids and which is in the form of flakes  
3.16 
filled chocolate   
product covered by a coating of one or more chocolates , the centre of which is clearly distinct through its 
composition from the external coating  
3.17 
praline chocolate  
single mouthful size c hocolate consisting of either filled, single or combination of chocolates  
3.18 
cocoa press cake  
cocoa mass converted into a cake, which removes a proportion of cocoa butter.  
3.19 
chocolate para mesa   
unrefined chocolate in which the grain size of sugars  is larger than 70 microns . 
4 Requirements  
4.1 Ingredients  
4.1.1  Essential ingredients  
Chocolates shall be made from the following cocoa materials singly or in combination:   
a) cocoa butter ; and  
b) cocoa mass/cocoa cake  
4.1.2  Optional ingredients   
4.1.2.1  The following materials may be used in chocolate and when used they shall comply with relevant 
standards  
a) sugar; 
b) milk; 
c) spices ; and  
d) any other approved ingredients  
4.1.2.2  The addition of vegetable fats other than cocoa butter shall not exceed 5% of the finishe d product, 
after deduction of the total weight of any other added edible foodstuffs, without reducing the minimum 
contents of cocoa materials.  
  
4 © EAC 2020  – All rights reserved  
 4.2 General requirements  
Chocolates shall be;  
a) of colour, flavour and  taste characteristic of the chocolate ; and  
b) free from moulds, extraneous matter  and foreign matter  
4.3 Specific requirements  
The chocolate and chocolate products  shall comply with the specific composition requirements in Table 1.  
Table 1 — Specific requirements for chocolate and chocolate product s (% on dry matter  basis ) 
PRODUCTS  CONSTITUENTS (en %)    
Chocolate  
Types  Cocoa  
Butter  
  Fat-free  
Cocoa  
Solids  Total  
Cocoa  
Solids  Milk Fat   
  Total Milk  
Solids  
  Starch  
/ Flour  
  Hazelnuts  
  
 1 CHOCOLATE TYPES (COMPOSITION)      
1.1 Choc olate  ≥18  ≥14   ≥35          
 1.1.1 Chocolate a la 
taza  ≥18  ≥14  ≥35      < 8    
    
1.2 Sweet  
Chocolat   ≥18  ≥12  ≥30          
1.2.1 Chocolate 
familiar a la taza  ≥18  ≥12  ≥30      < 18    
    
1.3 Couverture  
Chocolate   ≥31  ≥2.5  
≥35          
1.4 Milk Chocolate    ≥2.5  
≥25  ≥2.5-3.5  ≥12-14      
2.1.5 Family Milk  
Chocolate    ≥2.5  
≥20  ≥5  ≥20      
                
1.6  Milk  
Chocolate 
couverture    ≥2.5  ≥25  ≥3.5  ≥14      
1.7 Other chocolate products     
1.7.1.  White  
Chocolate   ≥20      
≥2.5-3.5  ≥14      
1.7.2 Gianduja  
Chocolate     
≥8  ≥32        ≥20 and ≤40    
© EAC  2020  – All rights reserved  5 
 1.7.3 Gianduja  
Milk Chocolate     ≥2.5  
≥25  ≥2.5-3.5  
≥10    ≥15 and ≤40   
1.7.4 Chocolate para mesa     
1.7.4.1  
Chocolate para mesa  ≥11   ≥9   ≥20          
1.7.4.2   Semibitter 
Chocolate para mesa   ≥15  ≥14  ≥30          
1.7.4.3 Bitter 
Chocolate para 
mesa   ≥22  ≥18  ≥40          
2 CHOCOLATE TYPES (forms)    
2.1 Chocolate Vermicelli / Chocolate Flakes     
2.1.1 Chocolate  
Vermicelli /  
Chocolate Flakes  ≥12  ≥14  ≥32          
2.1.2 Milk  
Chocolate  
Vermicelli / Milk  
Chocolate Flakes    ≥2.5  ≥ 20  ≥3  ≥12      
2.2 Filled Chocolate    
2.3 A Chocolate or Praline    
6 Food additives  
The use of f ood additives  in chocolate or chocolate products shall comply with  the provisions provided in 
CODEX STAN  192 
7 Contaminants  
7.1 Pesticide residues  
Pesticide residues in chocolate  and chocolate products  shall not exceed maximum limits as established by the 
codex o nline database for pesticide residue in food.  
7.2 Heavy me tals  
Chocolate and chocolate products shall comply with maximum limits for cadmium set in Table 2 when tested 
in accordance with any of the test methods given therein.  
Table 2 — Maximum limits for cadmium in chocolate and chocolate products  
S/N Chocolate /chocolate product  Maximum limits, 
mg/kg  Test method  
i Chocolate  containing or declaring less than 30% 
total dry cocoa solids  0.1 AOAC 999.10   
6 © EAC 2020  – All rights reserved  
 ii Chocolate containing or declaring  more than or 
equal to 30% and less than 50% of dry cocoa 
solids  0.3  
iii Chocolate containing or declaring 50 to 70% of 
total cocoa solids on dry matter basis  0.8 
iv Chocolate containing or declaring more 70% of 
total cocoa solids on dry matter basis  0.9 
 
8 Hygiene  
 
8.1 Chocolat e and chocolate products  shall be prepared an d handled in a hygienic manner in accordance 
with EAS 39   
8.2 Chocolat e and chocolate products  shall comply with the microbiological limits stipulated in Table 3 when 
tested in accordance with the methods specified therein.  
Table 3 — Microbiological limits  for chocolate  and chocolate products  
SL/No  Micro -organism  Maximum limit  Test method  
i.  E Coli , cfu/g  Absent  ISO 166 49-2 
ii.  Salmonella spp ,/25 g Absent  ISO 6579 -1 
iii.  Yeast and moulds, cfu/g  102 ISO 21527 -2 
iv.  Total Viable Count, cfu/g  103 ISO 4833 -1 
9 Packaging   
Chocolate and chocolate products shall be packaged in food grade containers that secure the integrity and 
safety of the product.  
10 Labelling  
In addition to the labelling requirements in EAS 38, in particular the following specific declarat ions shall be 
legibly and indelibly marked on each label:  
a) name  of the product  shall be “Chocolate”   
b) type and form indicating the true nature of the product  
c) proportion of vegetable fat used  where applicable; and  
d) list of ingredients in descending order of proportions  
11 Sampling  
Sampling of chocolates shall be done in accordance with CODEX STAN 234. 
 
 DEAS 103 3: 2020  
   
 
© EAC 2020  – All rights reserved