DEAS 1011 : 2019  
ICS 67.100.20  
 
© EAC 2019                                                                                                                               First Edition 2019   
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
Cheese  — Specification  — Cheddar cheese  
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  DEAS 1011 : 2019  
ii © EAC  2019  – All rights reserved  
 Copyright notice  
This EAC document is copyright -protected by EAC. While the reproduction of this document by 
participants in the EAC standards development process i s permitted without prior permission from EAC, 
neither this document nor any extract from it may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form for 
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© East African Community  2019  — All rights reserved  
East African Community   
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Reproduction for sales purposes may be subject to royalty payments or a licensing agreement.  
Violators may be prosecuted . DEAS 1011 : 2019  
© EAC 2019  – All rights reserved  iii 
 Contents  Page 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  iv 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  1 
4 Product description  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............................  2 
4 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  2 
4.1 Raw materials  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  2 
4.2 Essential ingredients  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  2 
4.3 Optional ingredients  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..............................  2 
5 Food additives  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....... 3 
6 Heavy metals  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  3 
7 Aflatoxins  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  3 
8 Hygiene  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  3 
9 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  3 
10 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  3 
11 Sam pling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  4 
 DEAS 1011 : 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 Africa n 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 National 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 develop ment 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 Technical Commi ttee EASC/TC 017, Milk and  milk 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 1011 : 2019  
 
© EAC 2019  – All rights reserved  1 
 Cheese  — Specific ation  — Cheddar cheese  
1 Scope   
This Draft East African Standard specifies the requirements, sampling and test methods for cheddar cheese 
intended for direct consumption or for further processing . 
2 Normative references   
The following documents are referre d 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 amendment s) applies.  
AOAC 999.10, Determination of Lead, Cadmium, Zinc, Copper, and Iron in foods, Atomic Absorption 
Spectrophotometry after Microwave Digestion  
CAC/RCP 1,  General principles of food hygiene — Code of practice  
CODEX STAN 192,  General standard for fo od additives  
CODEX STAN 283, General standard for cheese  
EAS 38, Labelling of pre -packaged foods — General requirements  
ISO 1854, Whey cheese — Determination of fat content — Gravimetric method (Reference method)  
ISO 14501, Milk and milk powder — Determina tion of aflatoxin M1 content — Clean -up by immunoaffinity 
chromatography and determination by high -performance liquid chromatography  
ISO 16649 -2, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs -- Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
betaglucuroni dase -positive Escherichia coli — Part 2: Colony -count technique at 44 degrees C using 5 -
bromo -4-chloro -3-indolyl beta -D-glucuronide  
ISO 4832, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
coliforms — Colony -count techn ique 
ISO 5538, Milk and milk products — Sampling — Inspection by attributes  
ISO 8197, Milk and milk products — Sampling inspection by variables  
ISO 707, Milk and milk products — Guidance on sampling  
3 Terms and definitions  
No terms and definitions are list ed in this document .  
2 © EAC  2019  – All rights reserved  
 4 Product description  
Cheddar is a ripened hard cheese in conformity with the General Standard for Cheese (CODEX STAN 283 ). 
The body has a near white or ivory through to light yellow or orange colour and a firm -textured (when pressed 
by thumb), smooth and waxy texture. Gas holes are absent, but a few openings and splits are acceptable. The 
cheese is manufactured and sold with or without1 rind which may be coated. For Cheddar ready for 
consumption, the ripening procedure to develop flavo ur and body characteristics is normally from 5 weeks at 
7–15 °C depending on the extent of maturity required. Alternative ripening conditions (including the addition of 
ripening enhancing enzymes) may be used, provided the cheese exhibits similar physical,  biochemical and 
sensory properties as those achieved by the previously stated ripening procedure. Cheddar intended for 
further processing need not exhibit the same extent of ripening when justified through technical and/or trade 
needs.  
4 Requirements  
4.1 Raw materials  
Cows’ milk or buffaloes’ milk, or their mixtures, and products obtained from these milks.  
4.2 Essential ingredients  
The essential ingredients to be used in cheddar cheese shall be as follows:  
a) Starter cultures of harmless lactic acid and/ or f lavour producing bacteria and cultures of other 
harmless microorganisms;  
b) Rennet or other safe and suitable coagulating enzymes; and 
c) Sodium chloride and potassium chloride as a salt substitute.  
4.3 Optional ingredients  
The optional ingredients which may be  used in cheddar cheese shall be as follows:  
a) Safe and suitable enzymes t o enhance the ripening process;  
b) Safe and suitable processing aids;  
c) Rice, corn and potato flours and starches complying with Codex Stan 263.  
4.4 Specific requirements  
Cheddar cheese sha ll comply with the specific requirements in table 1 when tested in accordance with test 
methods specified therein.  
Table 1 — Specific requirements  for Cheddar cheese  
Milk constituent  Minimum content 
(m/m)  Maximum content 
(m/m)  Reference level 
(m/m)  Test me thod  
Milk fat in dry matter:  22 %  Not restricted  48 % - 60 %  ISO 1735  
Dry matter  Depending on the fat in dry matter content, according to the table below  
Fat (F) in dry matter content (m/m):  Corresponding minimum dry matter content 
(m/m)  
22% ≤ F < 30 %  49 %  ISO 1854  
30% ≤.F < 40 %  53 %   
© EAC 2019  – All rights reserved  3 
 40% ≤ F < 48 %  57 %  
48% ≤ F < 60 %  61 %  
F ≥ 60%  66 %  
5 Food additives  
Food additives may be used in Cheddar cheese in accordance with Codex Stan 192.  
6 Heavy metals  
6.1 The heavy metal requireme nts in the product shall comply with the limits in the Table 3.  
Table 3 — Maximum limits of heavy metals  
S/N  Heavy metal  Maximum limits, mg/kg  Test methods  
i.  Lead  0.02 AOAC 999.10  
7 Aflatoxins  
Aflatoxin M1 shall not exceed 0.5 μg/kg maximum to comply wi th the levels of contaminants in foods as 
stipulated in ISO 14501.  
8 Hygiene  
8.1 The Cheddar cheese shall be processed, packaged, stored and distributed under hygienic conditions 
complying with CAC/RCP 1 and CAC/RCP 57.  
8.2 Cheddar cheese shall have the fo llowing microbiological limits when tested as specified in Table 4.  
Table 4 ▬ Microbiological  limits  
S/N  Microorganism  maximum limits  Test method  
i.  Salmonella spp /25g absent  ISO 6579 -1 
ii.  Staphylococcus aureus , cfu/g  102 ISO 6888 -3 
iii.  E. coli , cfu/g  absent  ISO 16649 -2 
iv.  Listeria monocytogenes /25g  absent  ISO 11290 -2 
v.  Coliforms, cfu/g  10 ISO 4832  
9 Packaging  
The products shall be packaged in  food grade containers made of suitable material and shall be well sealed in 
order to prevent contamination of the contents during storage and transportation.  
10 Labelling  
In additio nal to the requirements of EAS 38, the labelling  of cheddar cheese should include the following:  
a) name of product; cheddar cheese ;  
4 © EAC  2019  – All rights reserved  
 b) list of Ingredients in descending order ; 
c) fat content ; 
d) name and address of manufacturer;  
e) date of manufacture;  
f) date of expiry;  
g) batch number ; 
h) source  of milk (cow/buffalo) ; 
i) storage conditions;  and 
j) country of origin . 
11 Sampling  
In addition to the provision in ISO 707, sampling shall comply with ISO 8197 or ISO 5538 when the  sampling 
is purposely for inspection.  
 DEAS 1011 : 2019    
 
© EAC 2019  – All rights reserved