DRAFT KENYA STANDARD  DKS 2922 -2 :2020  
Second  Edition  
  
 © KEBS 2020   
 Edible Insects  
Part 2:  
Products containing e dible insects — 
Specification  
 
  
 
 
 DKS 2922 -2 :2020  
 TECHNICAL COMMITTEE REPRESENTATION  
The following organizations were represented on the Technical Committee:  
Jaramongi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology  
Jomo Kenyatta University of Science and Technology  
Egerton University  
Ministry of Health – Nutrition and Dietetics Unit  
Ministry of Health – Public Health  
Kenya Medical Research Institute  
Government Chemist  
Kenyatta National Hospital  
Aga Khan Hospital University  
Nestle Kenya Ltd  
Total Lifestyle Change Ltd  
Veekay Ltd  
Kensalt Ltd.  
Kenya Bureau of Standards — Secretariat  
REVISION OF KENYA STANDARDS  
In order to keep abreast of progress in industry, Kenya Standards shall be regularly reviewed.  Suggestions 
for improvements to published stand ards, addressed to the Managing Director, Kenya Bureau of Standards, 
are welcome.  
© Kenya Bureau of Standards, 2020  
Copyright. Users are reminded that by virtue of Section 25 of the Copyright Act, Cap. 130 of 2001 of  the Laws of Kenya, copyright 
subsists in all Kenya Standards and except as provided under Section 25 of this Act, no Kenya Standard produced by Kenya Bure au of 
Standards may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or transmitted by any mea ns without prior permission in writing 
from the Managing Director.    DKS 2922 -2 :2020  
First  Edition  
  
 
Edible Insects  
Part 2:  
Products  containing edible insect  — 
Specification  
 
 
Kenya Bureau of Standards,  Popo Road, Off Mombasa Road,  
P.O. Box 54974 - 00200,  Nairobi, Kenya  
 +254 020 6948000, + 254 722202137, + 254 734600471  
 info@kebs.org  
 @KEBS_ke  
 Kenya  Bureau of S tandards ( KEBS )  
  
 DKS 2922 -2 :2020  
 Foreword  
This Kenya Standard was prepared by the Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses  under the guidance of 
the Standards Projects Committee, and it is in accordance with the procedures of the Kenya Bureau of 
Standards.  
Use of edible insects to enhance nutritional contents of products especially snacks is viewed as a potential 
option to enhance the nutritional status of the population  especially children and vulnerable populations. 
Traditionally most communities were consuming insects as part of their normal diet a trend that had been 
reversed by urbanization and modern agriculture. The demand for insects as food is slowly increasing g lobally 
and taunted as a viable intervention to manage micronutrient deficiencies.  
This standard  provides  for the use of edible insects as ingoing ingredients to products and snack. It lays 
emph asis on the safety of the products and in particular microbiological safety and heavy metal contaminants. 
In ensuring the consumer has the right information to make informed decision, appropriate labelling declaring 
the true nature of the product was inclu ded in this edition.  
During the preparation of this s tandard reference was made to  the following document : 
FAO 2013.Edible insects Future prospects for food and feed security. FAO, Rome  
IPIFF Guide on Good Hygiene Practices for European Union of insects a s food and feed  
US 2146:2019 Edible insects - Specification  
Adedayo, Adeboye, Tomilola, Bolaji2 and Omotayo, Fatola (2016). .  Nutritional composition and sensory 
evaluation of cookies made from wheat and palm weevil larvae flour blends. Annals. Food Scienc e and 
Technology.  
Acknowledgement is hereby made for the  assistance derived from these  source s. 
 DRAFT KENYA STANDARD  DKS 2922 -2 :2020  
 
 © KEBS 2020   
 Products containing edible insects — Specification  
1 Scope  
This Draft Kenya standard specifies the requirements, sampling and test methods for products  containing 
edible insects as an ingredient  intended 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 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.  
DKS 2922 -1, Primary production of I nsects for Food and Feed — Code of practice  
KS CODEX STAN 192 , Codex General standard for Food Additives  
KS EAS 38 , Labeling of prepackaged foods - General requirements   
KS EAS 39 , Hygiene in the food and drink manufacturing industry - Code of practice  
KS EAS 804, Claims on food — General requirements  
KS EAS 805, Use of nutrition and health claims — Requirements  
KS ISO 4833 -1, Microbiology of the food chain -Horizontal method for the enumeration of microorganisms Part 
1: Colony count at 30 ºC by the pour plate technique  
KS ISO 5983 -1, Animal feeding stuffs - Determination of nitrogen content and calculation of crude protein 
content Part 1: Kjeldahl method  
KS ISO 5985 , Animal feeding stuffs - Determination of ash  insoluble in hydrochloric acid  
KS ISO 6633 , Fruits, vegetables and derived products - Determination of lead content - Flameless atomic 
absorption spectrometric method  
KS ISO 6496 , Animal feeding stuffs - Determination of moisture an d other volatile matter content  
KS ISO 6579 -1 Microbiology of the fo od chain -Horizontal method for the detection, enumeration and 
serotyping of Salmonella -Part 1:  Detection of Salmonella spp   
KS ISO 6888 -1, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs - Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
coagulase -positive staphylococci (staphylococcus Aureus and other soecies) - Part 1: Technique using baird -
pac  
KS ISO 10272 -1, Microbiology of the food chain -Horizontal method for detection and enumeration of 
Campylobacter spp. Part 1:Detection method  
KS ISO 11290 -2, Microbiology of the food chain -Horizontal method for the detection and enumeration of 
Listeria monocytogenes and of Listeria spp. Part 2: Enumeration method.  / Meat and Poultry Products  
KS ISO 16649 -2, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs - Horiz ontal method for the enumeration of B -
glucuronidase -positive Escherichia coli - Part 1: Colony -count technique at 44 using membranes and 5 -
bromo -4  
KS ISO 13547 -2, Copper, lead, zinc and nickel sulphide Concentrates -Determination of arsenic Part 2: Acid 
digestion and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometric method   
KS 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  
ISO 22964:2017 Microbiology of the  food chain — horizontal method for the detection of cronobacter spp.  
KS ISO 27085,  Animal feeding stuffs - Determination of calcium, sodium, phosphorus, magnesium, 
potassium, iron, zinc, copper, manganese, cobalt, molybdenum, arsenic, lead and cadmium by ICP-AES 
Public Health Act  Cap 242   DKS 2922 -2 :2020  
2 © KEBS: 2020 : – All rights reserved  
 Food Drugs and Chemicals Substances  Act, Cap. 254 
Weights and Measures Act  Cap. 513  
3 Terms and d efinition s 
For the purposes of this document, the following term and definition apply:  
3.1 
Product containing edible insects  
Is a ready to use product or a product which will require further processing before consumption whose 
ingredients include edible insect products . They include  products such as cookies, biscuits, snacks , flours  and 
bread . 
 
3.2 
Edible insect Product  
Is a product that has been processed by heat treating insects that have  been harvested either from 
domesticated farms, semi cultivated farms  or from wild harvesting. T he product  is presented in the form of 
whole insect or in powder form  
3.3 
Domesticated insect farms  
Is farming of insects in established farms where the insects are held in confinement  
3.4  
Semi -cultivated insect farms  
Is a type of domesticated farming of insects where the insects are not confinement rather they are in their 
natural environm ent which is manipulated to some degree to produce the edible insects  
3.5 
Whole insect Product  
Is an insect dried product where some inedible parts of the insects such as wings; hair have been removed 
during or after drying  
3.6 
Powdered  insect Product  
Is particulate product of dried insects that is achieved by milling or grinding dry whole insect product  
4 Requirements  
4.1 General requirements  
4.1.1  Products containing edible insects  shall:  
a) have acceptable flavour and odour  
b) be free from adulterants  and extraneous material.  
c) be free from infestati on and contamination from pests  
d) be free from rancid, musty or any other foreign taste characteristic of spoilage  
4.1.2  The products containing edible insects  shall have at least 10 %  of the ingredients from d ried insect s’ 
product  complying with DKS 2922 -1 
 Note: For baked products such as bread, scones may contain at least 5 %  
4.1.3  Other ingredients used  shall comply with the relevant Kenya Standards.   DKS 2922 -2 :2020  
© KEBS 2020  – All rights reserved  3 
 4.2 Specific requirements  
products containing edible insects  shall conform to the specific requirements  in table 1  when tested with the 
test methods described  
Table 1 — Requirements  for products containing edible insects  - specification  
s/n Parameter  Limits, %,  Test method  
i).  Moisture Content , m/m , max. 9ab KS ISO 6496  
ii).  Protein Conten t % m/m min.  15 KS ISO 5983 -1 
iii).  Acid insoluble ash, %, m/m , max.  1 KS ISO 5985  
a Where there exist a Kenya Standard for similar product such as bread, biscuit  or wafers  the requirement in 
that standard shall apply . 
b This parameter does not apply to products presented as liquid/aqueous/high moisture extruded 
products/paste solution .  
6 Optional ingredients  
products containing edible insects  may contain other approved food ingredients complying with relevant 
Kenya Standard s  
7 Food additives  
Only permitted food additives in accordance with  KS CODEX STAN 192  for similar products may be used.  
8 Hygiene  
8.1 The products containing edible insects  shall be prepared and packaged in premises built and maintained 
under hygienic condition in accordance with Public Health Act Cap 242, the Food Drugs and Chemicals 
Substances Act , Cap. 254 of the Laws of Kenya and KS EAS 39 . 
8.2 products containing edible insects  shall be free from any pathogenic microorganism and shall in particular 
comply with the microbiological requirements indicated in Table 2  when tested in accordance with the test 
methods specified therein . 
Table 2 — Microbiological limits for products containing edible insects  
S/N Type of micro -organism  Maximum number 
of counts  Test method  
i.  Total Aerobic Counts at 30 oC, 
CFU/g  105 KS ISO 4833 -1 
ii.  Salmonella  in  25 g Shall be absent  KS ISO 6579 -1 
iii.  E. Coli, CFU/g  Less than 10a KS ISO 16649 -2 
iv.  Coagulase positive Staphylococc i 
aureas   CFU/g  Less than 10  KS ISO 6888 -1 
v.  Listeria  monocytogenes , CFU/25g  Absent  KS ISO 11290 -2 
vi.  Cronobacter  spp.(Enterobacter  
sakazakii)  CFU/10g  Absent  ISO 22964  
vii.  Campylobacter , CFU/25g  Absent  KS ISO 10272 -1:  DKS 2922 -2 :2020  
4 © KEBS: 2020 : – All rights reserved  
 viii.  Yeast and moulds  CFU/g  102 KS ISO 21527 -2 
a For ready to use. Products that will require further processing before consumption as per 
the direction of use a maximum of 102 shall apply.  
9 Contaminants  
9.1 Heavy Metal Contaminants  
products containing edible insects  shall not contain heavy metal contaminants in amounts established under 
WHO or FAO to ca use adverse effect to health and in particular shall comply with the limits indicated in Table 
3 when tested in accordance with the test methods specified therein . 
Table 3 — Limits for heavy metal contaminants  for products containing edible insects  
S/N Contaminant  Max. limit , 
mg/kg  Test method  
i.  Lead (Pb)  0.5 KS ISO 6633  
ii.  Arsenic (Ar)  0.1 KS ISO 13547 -2 
iii.  Cadmium  0.4 KS ISO 27085  
9.2 Mycotoxins  
products containing edible insects  shall have a maximum of 10 µg/Kg of Total aflatoxin and a maximum of 5 
µg/ Kg of Aflatoxin B 1 
10 Packaging and labelling  
10.1 Packaging  
10.1.1  The products containing edible insects  shall be packaged in food grade materials that will ensure the 
safety and integrity of the product throughout the shelf life.  
10.1.2  The fill of the  container shall be in accordance with the Weights and Measures Act Cap. 513 of the 
Laws of Kenya.  
10.2 Labelling  
10.2.1  In addition to the l abelling requirements of KS EAS 38, the label shall include  the following 
information : 
a) name o f the product shall be  named appropriate to its true nature such as ‘xxx flour ’ where xxx is the 
insect  e.g cricket  based/enriched  wheat flour’, ‘ Cricket  based/enriched  Biscuit ’, ‘cricket  
based/enriched  Cookies ’, ‘cricket  based/enrichment  snac k’; 
b) As part of the ingredient, shal l declare one of the ingredient as ‘ Dried edible insect xxx, (common 
name of insect)  e.g. dried edible insect powder (crickets);  
c) Statement that, ‘ contain an ingredient that may  cause allergy reaction’ ;  
d) Direction for use of the product  where product may re quire further processing before use ; and  
e) storage instructions.  
10.2.2  Any health and/or nutrition claim on products containing edible insects  shall conform to the 
provisions of KS EAS 804 and KS EAS 805 . DKS 2922 -2 :2020    
 
© KEBS 2020 – All rights reserved