DEAS 954: 2023 
                                                          ICS 67.120.10 
 
© EAC 2023                                                                                                                    SECOND  Edition 2023 
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
Meat sausages  — Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  DEAS 954: 2023 
ii © EAC  2023 – 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 954: 2023 
© EAC 2023 – All rights reserved  iii 
 Contents  Page 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  iv 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  2 
4 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  3 
4.1 Raw material  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  3 
4.1.1  Meat ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........................  3 
4.1.2  Curing ingredients  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ . 3 
4.1.3  Spices and seasonings  ................................ ................................ ............. Error! Bookmark not defined.  
4.1.4  Water  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .......................  4 
4.2 Optional ingredients  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..............................  4 
4.3 General requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  4 
4.4 Specific requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  4 
5 Hygiene  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  5 
6 Microbiological limits  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  5 
7 Food additives  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....... 5 
8 Contaminants  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  5 
8.1 Heavy metals  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  5 
8.2 Veterinary drug residues  ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  5 
8.3 Pesticide residues  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ . 5 
8.4 Aflatoxin  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  6 
9 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  6 
10 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  6 
11 Weights and measures  ................................ ................................ ................................ .........................  6 
12 Sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  6 
Bibliography  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................  7 
 
. DEAS 954: 2023 
iv © EAC  2023 – 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 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 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 Technical Committee EASC/TC 004, Meat, poultry, game, 
eggs and related products.  
This second /third/… edition cancels and replaces the first/second/… edition ( US nnn-n:yyyy), which has been technically 
revised.  
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.  DEAS 954: 2023 
© EAC 2023 – All rights reserved  v 
 Introduction  
A paragraph.  
The introduction  is an optional preliminary element used, if required, to give specific information or 
commentary about the technical content of the document, and about the reasons prompting its preparation. It 
shall not contain requirements.  
The introduction shall not be numbered unless there is a need to create numbered subdivisions. In this case, it 
shall be numbered 0, with subclauses being numbered 0.1, 0.2, etc. Any numbered figure, table, displayed 
formula or footnote shall be numbered normally beginning with 1.  
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  DEAS 954: 2023 
 
© EAC 2023 – All rights reserved  1 
 Meat sausages  — Specification  
1 Scope   
This Draft East African Standard specifies requirements, sampling and test methods for meat sausages 
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.  
AOAC 972.25, Lead in Food Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometric Method  
AOAC 2011.04,  Protein in Raw and Processed Meats — Automated Dye -Binding Method  
CAC/GL 50, General guidelines on sampling  
CAC/MRL 2 , Maximum residue limits for veterinary drugs in food  
CAC/RCP 58 -2005, Code of hygienic practice for meat  
Codex Stan 192, General standard for food additives   
EAS 12, Potable water — Specification  
EAS 38, Labelling of pre -packaged foods — Specification  
EAS 39, Hygiene in the food and drink manufacturing industry — Code of practice   
EAS 955, Hygienic requirements for the production of packaged meat products   
ISO 936,  Meat and meat products — Determination of total ash  
ISO 144 2, Meat and meat products — Determination of moisture content (Reference method)  
ISO 1443,  Meat and meat products — Determination of total fat content  
ISO 6579, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the detection of Salmonella 
spp.  
ISO 6888 -1, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
coagulase -positive staphylococci (Staphylococcus aureus and other species) — Part 1: Technique using 
Baird -Parker agar medium  
ISO 7937 , Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
Clostridium perfringens — Colony count technique  
ISO 10272 -1, Microbiology of the food chain — Horizontal method for detection and enumeration of 
Campylobacter spp. — Part 1: Detection method   
2 © EAC  2023 – All rights reserved  
 ISO 16050,  Foodstuffs — Determination of aflatoxin B1, and the total content of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 
in cereals, nuts and derived products — High-performance liquid chromatographic method  
ISO 16654,  Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the detection of 
Escherichia coli 0157  
ISO/TS 17728:2015 , Microbiology of the food chain — sampling  techniques for microbiological analysis of 
food and feed samples   
ISO 11290 -1 Microbiology of the food chain  Horizontal method for the detection and enumeration of Listeria 
monocytogenes  and of Listeria spp.  Part 1: Detection method  
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  
meat  
all parts of slaughtered animal that are intended for and have been passed as fit  for human consumption by 
the competent authority in the respective Partner State  
3.2  
raw meat  
meat that has not been subjected to any preserving process other than chilling, freezing, vacuum -wrapping 
and wrapping in a controlled atmosphere . 
3.3  
minced meat  
boneless meat that has been reduced into particles  
3.4 
meat preparations  
raw meat, including minced meat which has had foodstuffs, seasonings or additives added to it  
3.5 
food additives  
food grade substance not normally consumed as food by itself and not normally used as typical ingredient of 
food whether or not it has a nutritional value , added to food for technological and organoleptic purposes  
3.6 
seasonings  
food grade substance s added to food to modify colour, texture and flavour  
3.7  
meat products  
products resulting from the processing of meat or from the further processing of such processed products, so 
that the cut surface shows that the product no longer has the characteristics of fresh meat  
3.8  
casing  
natural or artificial materials used to protect and/or hold sausages   
© EAC 2023 – All rights reserved  3 
 3.9 
sausage meat  
product of minced meat from animals intended for human consumption blended with or without spices and 
other seasonings  
3.10 
sausage  
product obtained by stuffing sausage meat or other ingredients  like soya protein in casings and which may be 
fresh, fermented, cooked and/or smoked  
3.11 
meat content  
total amount of lean meat tissues and meat fat in the sausage or sausage meat  
3.12  
fresh sausages  
sausages made from meats that has not been previously cured and require chilling or freezing and thorough 
cooking before eating  
3.13  
cooked sausages  
sausages made from fresh meats that are fully cooked, intended to be either eaten immediately after cooking 
or refrigeration  
3.14  
smoked sausages  
sausages that are smoked and require to be refrigerated and cooked thoroughly before eating  
3.15  
dry sausages  
sausages prepared from one or more kinds of fresh, chilled or frozen meat  subjected to a controlled air-drying  
process and cooked thoroughly before eating  
3.16  
fermented sausages  
sausages that have undergone controlled microbiological fermentation and ripening, and are presented as 
ready to eat  
3.17  
food grade material  
materials that are free from substances that are hazardous to human health and may be permitted to come in 
contact with food  
4 Requirements  
4.1 Raw material  
4.1.1  Meat  
Meat sausages shall be obtained from meat as defined in 3.1.  
4.1.2  Curing ingredients  
Curing ingredients, if used for sausage manufacturing shall comply with Codex Stan 192.   
4 © EAC  2023 – All rights reserved  
 4.1.3 Water  
Water used in the preparation of sausages shall comply with EAS 12 . 
4.2 Optional ingredients  
Optional ingredients listed below may be used in the preparation or manufacture of meat sausages. When 
used shall comply with the relevant Standards.  
a) other products of animal origin;  
b) edible starch;  
c) cereals and cereal products;  
d) milk and milk products;  
e) sucrose, invert sugar, dextrose (glucose), lactose, maltose, glucose syrup (including corn syrup);  
f) water soluble, aromatic hydroly zed protein;  
g) vegetable protein products; and  
h) eggs and egg products.  
i) Spices , herbs  and seasonings   
4.3 General  requirements  
4.3.1  Fresh sausages shall be prepared from one or more kinds of fresh, chilled or frozen meat.  
4.3.2  Smoked sausages shall be prepared from one or more kinds of fresh, chilled or frozen meat and 
smoked with only hard wood or other non -resinous materials.  
4.3.3  Cooked sausages shall be prepared from one or more kinds of fresh, chilled or frozen meat cooked, 
seasoned and cured.  
4.3.4  Dry/fermented sausages shall be prepared from one or more kinds of fresh, chilled or frozen meat  
subjected  to a controlled air-drying  process.  
4.4 Specific requirements  
Meat  sausages  shall comply with specific requirements given  in Table 1 , when tested in accordance with the 
methods given therein . 
Table 1 — Specific requirements for meat sausages  
Parameter  Fresh  Smoked/Cooked  Dry fermented  Test method  
Moisture content, %, max. 65 60 50 ISO 1442  
Fat, %, max. 30 30 30 ISO 1443  
Meat, %,  min. 52 60 65 AOAC 2011.04  
Total ash, % , max. 3 3 3 ISO 936  
[sausages which are manufactured without binders should have a maximum MC of  75% for fresh 
sausages]  
[sausages which are manufactured without binders should have a maximum MC of  65% for  
© EAC 2023 – All rights reserved  5 
 cooked sausages ]  
5 Hygiene  
In addition to CAC/RCP 58 meat sausages shall be produced, processed, handled and stored in accordance 
with EAS 39  and EAS 955 . 
6 Microbiological  limits   
Meat sausages shall comply with microbiological limits specified  in Table 2, when tested in accordance with 
the methods given therein . 
Table 2 — Microbiological limits for meat sausages  
S/No.  Microorganism  Sausage type  Test Method  
Fresh  Smoked/cooked  Dry/fermented  
      
ii Staphylococcus aure us, 
cfu/g , max.  103 Absent  < 20 ISO 6888 -1  
iv Escherichia Coli O157:H7 , 
per 25 g    Absent  Absent  Absent  ISO 16654  
v Salmonella, per 25 g, max .  Absent  Absent  Absent  ISO 6579  
vi Clostridium perfringe ns, 
cfu/g  Absent  Absent  Absent  ISO 7937  
vii Listeria monocytogen es, per 
25 g Absent  Absent  Absent  ISO 11290  
viii campylobacter  in 25 g  Absent  Absent  Absent  ISO 10272 -1 
7 Food additives  
Food additives  if used  in meat sausages  shall comply with Codex Stan 192 . 
8 Contaminants  
8.1 Heavy metals  
Meat sausages  shall not contain Lead (Pb) in amounts exceeding 0.1 mg/kg, when tested in accordance with 
AOAC 972.25.   
8.2 Veterinary drug residues  
Meat sausages shall comply with the maximum drug residue limits specified in CAC/MRL 2 . 
8.3 Pesticide residues  
Meat sausages shall comply with the maximum pesticide residue limits as specified by the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission.   
6 © EAC  2023 – All rights reserved  
 8.4 Aflatoxin   
Total aflatoxin in meat sausages may be tested on request by the relevant authority. When tested in 
accordance with ISO 16050 , values shall not exceed 10  µg/kg while aflatoxin B1 shall not exceed 5 µg/kg. 
9 Packaging  and Labelling  
9.1 Packaging  
Meat sausages shall be packaged in food grade containers which will safeguard the hygienic, nutritional, 
technological, and organoleptic qualities of the product.  
9.2 Labelling  
In addition to the requirements given in EAS 38, the following labelling requirements shall apply and shall be 
legibly and indelibly labelled.  
a) name, type of meat and product thereof, for example, “fresh meat  sausage”;  
b) list of ingredients;  
c) name of the manufacturer and physical address;  
d) country of origin;  
e) batch or code number;  
f) net weight in metric units;  
g) date of production;  
h) storage condition; and  
i) expiry date.  
j) Allergen declarations  
10 Weights and measures  
Meat sausages shall be packaged in accordance with the weights and measures legislation of respective 
Partner States.  
11 Sampling  
Sampling of meat sausages shall be in accordance with the provisions of CAC/GL 50 for general sampling 
and ISO/TS 17728  for microbiological analysis   
© EAC 2023 – All rights reserved  7 
 Bibliography  
[1] EAS 954:2020 Meat Sausages — Specifications  
 DEAS 954: 2023   
 
© EAC 2023 – All rights reserved