AFRICAN 
STANDARD  DARS  
1080  
First Edition 2023 
 
 Reference No. CD-ARS 1080 :2023(E) 
ICS 67.100.30  
 
 
© ARSO 20 23 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Processed Cheese  — Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 DARS  1080 :2023 
ii © ARSO 20 23 — All rights reserved   
Table of contents  
 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ .....................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ .....................  1 
4 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ . 1 
4.1 Raw materials  ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................  1 
4.2 General requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............  2 
4.3 Compositional requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ .. 2 
5 Food Additives  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................  2 
6 Contaminants  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ . 2 
7 Hygiene  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  2 
8 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  4 
8.1 Name of the food  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  4 
8.2 Declaration of milkfat content  ................................ ................................ ................................  4 
8.3 Declaration of milk protein  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 4 
8.4 Additional Mandatory Requirements.  ................................ .... Error! Bookmark not defined.  
8.5 Labelling of non -retail containers  ................................ ................................ ...........................  4 
9       Packaging……………………………………………………………………………… ………………... ..4                                       
10   Me thods of Sampling and Analysis  ................................ ................................ ................................ .. 5 
 
  DARS 1080 :2023 
© ARSO 20 23 — All rights reserved  iii Foreword  
 
The African Organization for Standardization (ARS O) is an African intergovernmental organization 
established by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the Organization of 
African Unity (AU)  in 1977 . One of the fundamental mandates of ARSO is to develop and harmoniz e 
African Standards (ARS) for the purpose of enhancing Africa’s internal trading capacity, increase 
Africa’s product and service competitiveness globally and uplift the welfare of African communities.  The 
work of preparing African  Standards is normally carried out through ARSO  technical committees. Each 
Member State  interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been established has the  
right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, Regional Economic Communities 
(RECs), governmental and non -governmental  organizations , in liaison with ARSO , also take part in the 
work.  
 
ARSO  Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.  
 
The main task of technical committees is to prepare ARSO  Standards. Draft ARSO  Standards adopted 
by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an ARSO  
Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies casting a vote.  
 
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of 
patent rights. ARSO  shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.  
 
This African Standard was prepared by the ARSO Technical Committee on Milk and milk products 
(ARSO/TC 04) 
 
 
 
 
© African Organisation for Standardisation  2023 — All rights reserved* 
 
ARSO Central Secretariat  
International House 3rd Floor  
P. O. Box 57363 — 00200 City Square  
NAIROBI, KENYA  
 
Tel. +254 -20-2224561, +254 -20-3311641, +254 -20-3311608  
 
E-mail: arso@arso -oran.org  
Web: www.arso -oran.org  
  
 
* © 2023 ARSO — All rights of exploitation reserved worldwide for African Member States’ NSBs.  DARS  1080 :2023 
iv © ARSO 20 23 — All rights reserved   
Copyright notice  
 
This ARSO document is copyright -protected by ARSO. While the reproduction of this document 
by participants in the ARSO standards development process is permitted without prior permission 
from ARSO, neither this document nor any extract from it may be reproduced, sto red or 
transmitted in any form for any other purpose without prior written permission from ARSO.  
 
Requests for permission to reproduce this document for the purpose of selling it should be 
addressed as shown below or to ARSO’s member body in the country of the requester:  
 
 
© African Organisation for Standardisation 20 23 — All rights reserved  
 
ARSO Central Secretariat  
International House 3rd Floor  
P.O. Box 57363 — 00200 City Square  
NAIROBI, KENYA  
 
Tel: +254 -20-2224561, +254 -20-3311641, +254 -20-3311608  
 
E-mail: arso@arso -oran.org  
Web: www.arso -oran.org  
 
Reproduction for sales purposes may be subject to royalty payments or a licensing agreement. 
Violators may be p rosecuted.  
 DARS 1080 :2023 
© ARSO 20 23 — All rights reserved  1 Processed Cheese  - Specification  
 
1 Scope  
 
This African Standard specifies requirements, sampling and test methods for processed cheese  intended for 
direct consumption or further processing.  
 
2 Normative references  
 
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application 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.  
 
CODEX STAN 192 , General Standard for Food Additives  
 
CXS 193 ,General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Food and Feed  
 
CXC 1 , General Principles of Food Hygiene   
 
CXC 57 , Code of Hygienic Practice for Milk and Milk Products   
 
CXG 21 , Establishment and Application of Microbiological Criteria Related to Foods   
 
 
CXS 234, Recommended Methods of Analysis and Sampling  
 
ARS 56, Pre-packaged foods — Labelling  
 
WD-ARS XXX - Glossary of Dairy Terms  
 
 
3 Terms and definitions  
 
 
For the purposes of this document, the following te rms and definitions apply.  
 
Processed cheese:  
 
Process (ed) cheese and spreadable process  (ed) cheese are made by grinding, mixing, melting and emulsifying 
with the aid of heat and emulsifying agents one or more varieties of cheese, with or without the addition of milk 
components and/or other foodstuffs in accordance with the optional raw materials mentioned in Sec tion 4.1 .2  
 
 
4 Requirements  
 
4.1 Raw materials  
 
4.1.1 Essential raw materials  
 
- Cheese  and its varieties , 
- Emulsifying Agents  
 
4.1.2  Optional  raw materials  
 
a) Milk, Powdered milk, Cream, buttermilk partially or wholly dehydrated, preparations of proteins of dairy 
origin, including caseins and caseinate  requirements;  
b) Salt (sodium chloride)  
c) Potable water  
AFRICAN STANDARD  DARS 1080 :2023 
2 © ARSO 20 23 — All rights reserved  d) Vinegar  
e) Citric acid   
f) Lactic acid;  
g) Phosphoric acid;  
h) Nisin;  
i) Sodium citrate;  
j) Added condiments and acidifying agents;  
k) Permitted emulsifiers or stabilizers;  
l) Spices , herbs and aromatic plants  and other vegetable seasonings in sufficient quantity to characterize the 
product;  
m) Cultures of harmless bacteria and enzymes  and/or aroma -producing bacteria and other cultures of 
harmless microorganisms  
n) Harmless and suitable enzymes.  
o) Gelatine and/or starch for processed cheese preparations only, with a maximum of 10 g/kg of product 
alone or combined and/or in combination with the stabilisers/thickeners listed in section 5.  
p) The incorporation of fats and proteins not coming from milk is however prohibited . 
 
Note : Gelatine has to be Halal for Muslim countries . 
 
4.2 General requirements  
 
Processed cheese shall meet the following general requirements:  
- Processed cheese shall have smooth, clean, neat unbroken rind and attractive appearance.  
- Processed cheese shall have characteristic colour and flavour of the product  
- Sliceable cheese shall be slightly elastic, break easily, and shall not be hard when crushed between fingers;  
- Spreadable cheese shall be continuous and homogenous.  
- All processed cheese shall be free from openings, holes, breaks, cracks or fissures.  
 
4.3 Composition al requirements  
 
4.3.1 Processed cheese  shall be categorized as follows  in accordance with the requirements given in Table1:  
 
 Parameter  Requirements  Test Method  
1 Minimum fat in dry matter content (%)(m/m) . 25% ISO 1735  
2 Dry matter content ((%)(m/m)  30 - 75% ISO 5534  
3 Salt (sodium, calcium or potassium) (dry 
matter basis), % m/m, max.  3 % ISO 5943  
 
5 Food Additives  
 
Food additives may be used and only within the limits specified in General Standard for Food Additives – Category 
01.6.4 and Table 3 of CXS 283.  
 
6 Contaminants  
 
The products covered by this African Standard shall comply with the Maximum Levels for contaminants that are 
specified for the product in the General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Food and Feed (CXS 193).  
 
7 Hygiene  
 
It is recommended that the products covered by the provisions of this standard be prepared and handled in 
accordance with the appropriate sections of the General Principles of Food Hygiene (CXC 1), the Code of Hygienic 
Practice for Milk and Milk Products ( CXC 57) and other relevant Codex texts such as Codes of Hygienic Practice DARS 1080 :2023 
© ARSO 20 23 — All rights reserved  3 and Codes of Practice. The products should comply with any microbiological criteria established in accordance with 
the Principles and Guidelines for the Establishment and Application of Microbiological Criteria Related to Foods 
(CXG 21).  
 
Table 2: Microbiological limits for Processed C heese  
Food Category  
(Matrix)  Micro -
organisms  Sampling 
plan Limits  Test method 
reference  Observations  
n c m M  
Processed Cheese  
 Salmonella  5 0 Absence in 25 g  ISO 6579 -1 All stages  
Processed Cheese 
ready -to-eat foods 
able to support the 
growth of L. 
monocytogenes, 
other than those 
intended for infants 
and for special 
medical purposes  Listeria 
monocytogenes  5 0 Absence in 25 g  ISO 11290 -1 Products placed on 
the market during 
their shelf -life 
Listeria 
monocytogenes  5 0 102  
cfu/gm  ISO 11290 -1 Before the product 
has left the 
immediate control of 
the food business 
operator, who has 
produced it  
Processed cheese 
made from raw milk Staphylococcal 
entero -toxins  5 2 104 
cfu/gm  105 
cfu/gm  ISO 6888 -2 At the time during the 
manufacturing 
process when the 
number of 
staphylococci is 
expected to be 
highest  Processed cheese 
made from milk or 
whey that has 
undergone heat 
treatment  Staphylococcal 
entero -toxins  5 2 102 
cfu/gm  103 
cfu/gm  ISO 6888 -1 or 
2 
Processed cheese 
made from milk or 
whey that has 
undergone heat 
treatment  Escherichia Coli  
(Used here as 
an indicator for 
the level of 
hygiene).  5 2 102 
cfu/gm  103 
cfu/gm  ISO 16649 -1 
or 2 At the time during the 
manufacturing 
process when the E. 
coli count is 
expected to be 
highest  
Unripened soft 
cheeses (fresh 
cheeses) made from 
milk or whey that has 
undergone 
pasteurisation or a 
stronger heat 
treatment  Escherichia Coli  
(Used here as 
an indicator for 
the level of 
hygiene).  5 2 102 
cfu/gm  103 
cfu/gm  EN/ISO 6888 -
1 or 2  End of the 
manufacturing 
process  
Processed cheese 
made from raw milk   Escherichia Coli  
(Used here as 
an indicator for 
the level of 
hygiene).  5 2 104 
cfu/gm  105 
cfu/gm  ISO 16649 -1 
or 2 At the time during the 
manufacturing 
process when the E. 
coli count is 
expected to be 
highest  
Processed cheese 
made from milk that 
has undergone a 
lower heat treatment 
than pasteurisation  Coagulase -
Positive 
Staphylococci  5 2 102 
cfu/gm  103 
cfu/gm  ISO 6888 -1  
or 2 At the time during the 
manufacturing 
process when the 
number of 
staphylococci is 
expected to be 
highest  Processed cheese made 
from raw milk  Coagulase -
Positive 
Staphylococci  5 2 104 
cfu/gm  105 
cfu/gm  ISO 6888 -1  
 
n = number of units comprising the sample; c = number of sample units giving values between m and M.  DARS 1080 :2023 
4 © ARSO 20 23 — All rights reserved  m= The level of the required MCR in the product  
M= Value or level of microbial limit not to be reached or greater than in any unit of the sample  
 
8 Labelling  
In ad dition to the provisions of  ARS 56 the following specific provisions apply:  
 
a. List of ingredients  
b. Name and address of manufacturer or distributor or packer . 
c. net weight in metric unit . 
d. Country of origin . 
e. ‘Best before date’ (dd/mm/yy) . 
f. storage Conditions and instructions . 
g. lot identification, batch or code number . 
h. The language on the label shall be English . Additional language may be used depending on the 
designated market.  
i. Allergen information  
 
8.1 Name of the food  
 
The name of the food shall be  determine d according to the composition in Clause 4.3. 
If a specific cheese name is associated with the product i.e., Cheddar processed cheese, the specified cheese shall 
be at least 50% of the f ormulation  in the final product. For Blue mould cheese, it shall consist of 42% of the final 
product. These cheese types will be identified in the ingredient list with the relevant cheese  percentage % 
(percenta ge) present in the final product formulation.  
The word “process” in the name of process cheese with or without added foodstuff may be substituted by the word 
“processed”.  
 
8.2 Declaration of milkfat content  
 
If the consumer would be misled by the omission, the milkfat content shall be declared in a manner found 
acceptable in the country of sale to the final consumer, either  
i. as a percentage by mass,  
ii. in grams per serving as quantified in the label provided that the number of servings is stated.  
 
8.3 Declaration of milk protein  
 
If the consumer would be misled by the omission, the milk protein content shall be declared in a manner 
acceptable in the country of sale to the final consumer, either as  
i. a percentage by mass,  
ii. or grams per serving as quantified in the label provided the number of servings is stated.  
 
8.4 Labelling of non -retail containers  
 
Information required in Section 7 of this Standard and Sections 4.1 to 4.8 of the African Standard for the Labelling 
of Pre -packaged Foods ARS 56 , and, if necessary, storage instructions, shall be given either on the container or 
in accompanying documents, except that the name of the product, lot identification, and the name and address of 
the manufacturer or packer shall appear on the container.  
However, lot identification, and the name and address of the manufacturer or packer may be replaced by an 
identification mark, provided that such a mark is clearly identifiable with the accompanying documents.  
 
 
    9  Packaging  
 
A container or outer container in which the Processed Cheese  is packed shall:  
(a) be made from a material that :  DARS 1080 :2023 
© ARSO 20 23 — All rights reserved  5  (i) is suitable for this purpose;  
(ii) will protect the contents thereof from contamination; and  
(iii) will not impart any undesirable flavour or taste to the contents thereof;  
(b) be so strong that it will not be damaged or deformed during normal storage, handling and transport practices;  
(c) in the case of a container that is re -used, be thoroughly cleaned and sterili zed before the Processed Cheese is 
packed therein;  
(d) be intact; and  
(e) be closed properly in a manner permitted by the nature thereof.  
 
10 Methods of Sampling and Analysis  
 
For checking the compliance with this standard, the methods of analysis and sampling contained in the 
Recommended Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CXS 234 -1999) relevant to the provisions in this standard, 
shall be used .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       CD-ARS 1080 :2023 
© ARSO 20 23 — All rights reserved