PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDRAFT UGANDA 
STANDARDDUS DARS  1838 
First Edition  
2024-mm-dd
Reference number  
DUS DARS 1838: 2023 
© UNBS 2024 Fish meal as animal feed — Specification  PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDUS DARS 183 8: 2023  
ii © UNBS  2024  - All rights reserved  Compliance with this standard does not, of itself confer immunity from legal obligations  
A Uganda Standard does not purport to include all necessary provisions of a contract. Users are 
responsible for its correct applicatio n 
© UNBS 2024  
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilised in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without prior written 
permission from UNBS .
Requests for permission to reproduce this document should be addressed to  
The Executive Director  
Uganda National Bureau of Standards  
P.O. Box 6329  
Kampala  
Uganda  
Tel: +256 41 7 333 2 50/1/2 
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E-mail: info@unbs.go.ug
Web: www.unbs.go.ugPUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDUS DARS 183 8: 2023  
© UNBS  2024 - All rights reserved  iii National foreword  
Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is a parastatal under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and 
Cooperatives established under Cap 327, of the Laws of Uganda, as amen ded. UNBS is mandated to co -
ordinate the elaboration of standards and is  
(a)a member of International Organisatio n for Standardisation (ISO),
(b)a contact point for the WHO/FAO Codex Alimentarius Commission on Food Standards, and
(c)the National Enquiry Point on TBT Agreement of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
The work of preparing Uganda Standards is carried out through Technical Committees. A Technical 
Committee is established to deliberate on standards in a given field or area and consists of representatives of 
consumers, traders, ac ademicians, manufacturers, government and other stakeholders.  
Draft Uganda Standards adopted by the Technical Committee are widely circulated to stakeholders and the 
general public for comments. The committee reviews the comments before recommending the dr aft standards 
for approval and declaration as Uganda Standards by the National Standards Council.  
This Draft Uganda Standard, DUS DARS 183 8: 2023 ,Fish meal as animal feed —Specification , is identical
with and hasbeenreproduced from an African Standard, DARS 1838: 2023 ,Fish meal as animal feed —
Specification ,andadopted as a Uganda Standard .
The committee responsible for this document is Technical Committee UNBS/TC 210, Animal feeds and 
feeding stuffs .
Wherever the words, “ African  Standard " appear, they should be replaced by "Uganda Standard ". AFRICAN 
STANDARD  DARS  1838  
First Edition 2023 
Reference No. DARS 1838 :2023(E) 
ICS 65.120 
© ARSO 20 23 
Fish meal as animal feed — Specification  DARS  1838 :2023 
ii © ARSO 20 23 — All rights reserved   
Table of contents  
 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ .....................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ .....................  2 
4 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ . 2 
5.  Food additives  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .... 3 
6. Contaminants  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 3 
7. Hygiene  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  4 
8. Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........  5 
9. Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..............  5 
10. Sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........  5 
Bibliography  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............  6 
 
  DARS 1838 :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 ARSO/TC 17, Animal feeding, feeds and feeding stuffs . 
 
 
 
 
 
© 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  
  
 
* © 2022 ARSO — All rights of exploitation reserved worldwide for African Member States’ NSBs.  DARS  1838 :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 repro duced, stored 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 1838 :2023 
© ARSO 20 23 — All rights reserved  v Introduction  
 
Fish meal is a rich source of high-quality  protein and contains besides calcium and phosphorus, 
unidentified growth factors which are necessary for maximum growth rate and reproduction in livestock. 
The incorporation of fish meal in animal feeds, especially poultry feeds and pig feeds has become a  
regular practice in the animal feed industry.  
 
The development of this standard will not only serve as an important and useful reference document for 
any envisaged large scale fish meal production but will go a long way to assist present manufacturers 
produce quality fish meal.  
 
 DARS 1838 :2023 
© ARSO 20 23 — All rights reserved  1  
Fish meal as animal feed — Specification  
 
 
1 Scope  
 
This African  Standard specifies requirements, sampling and test methods for fish meal used in 
compounding animal feeds.  
 
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.  
 
AOAC 952.13 , Arsenic in food — Silver diethyldithiocarbamate  
CAC/RCP 54 , Code of practice on good animal feeding  
ARS 56, Pre -packaged foods - Labelling  
ISO 5983 -1, Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of nitrogen content and calculation of crude protein 
content — Part 1: Kjeldahl method  
ISO 5984 , Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of crude ash  
ISO 5985 , Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of ash insoluble in hydrochloric acid  
ISO 6490 -1, Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of calcium content — Part 1: Titrimetric method  
ISO 6491 , Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of phosphorus content — Spectrometric method  
ISO 6492 , Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of fat content  
ISO 6495 , Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of water -soluble chlorides content  
ISO 6496 , Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of moisture and other volatile matter content  
ISO 6497 , Animal feeding stuffs — Sampling  
ISO 6561 -1, Fruits, vegetables and derived products — Determination of cadmium content — Part 1: 
Method using granite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry  
ISO 6561 -2, Fruits, vegetables and derived products — Determination of cadmium content — Part 2: 
Method using flame atomic absorption spectrometry  
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 6633 , Fruits, vegetables and derived products — Determination of lead content — Flameless 
Atomic Absorption Spectrometric Method  
ISO 13720, Meat and meat products — Enumeration of presumptive Pseudomonas species  
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 O157  
ISO 17375, Animal feeding stuffs — Determination of aflatoxin B1  
AFRICAN STANDARD  DARS 1838 :2023 
2 © ARSO 20 23 — All rights reserved  BS EN 15763 Foodstuffs. Determination of trace elements. Determination of arsenic, cadmium, mercury 
and lead in foodstuffs by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) after pressure 
digestion  
 
BS EN 14084:2003 Foodstuffs. Determination of trace elements. Determination of lead, cadmium, zinc, 
copper and iron by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) after microwave digestion  
 
AOAC Official Method 941.04 Urea and Ammoniacal Nitrogen in Animal Feed  
 
3 Terms and definitions  
 
For the purpose of this document  the following terms and definitions apply.  
 
3.1  
fish meal  
product  obtained by drying (removing fat where necessary) and grinding whole fish, or parts thereof, of 
various species.  
 
3.2  
extraneous  matter  
organic or inorganic materials other than fish meal such as metallic objects, sand, stones, chaff, insects 
and others  
 
 
4 Requirements  
 
4.1 General requirements  
 
Fish meal shall be free from:  
 
i. extraneous matter;  
ii. adulterants  
iii. harmful constituents  
iv. insect infestation  
v. visible fungal growth  
vi. off odour  
4.2 Specific requirements  
 
Fish meal  shall comply with the requirements specified in Table 1 when tested in accordance with the 
test methods specified therein.   
 
 
  DARS 1838 :2023 
© ARSO 20 23 — All rights reserved  3  
Table 1 — Specific requirements for fish meal  
Characteristic  Requirement s Test methods  
i  Moisture, % m/m, max.  10 ISO 6496  
ii  Crude protein, % m/m, min.  55 ISO 5983 -1 
iii  Crude fat, % m/m, max.  12 ISO 6492  
iv  Acid insoluble ash, % m/m, max.  3 ISO 5985  
v  Total ash, % m/m, max.  20 ISO 5984  
vi  Calcium, % m/m, min.  3 ISO 6490 -1 
vii  Phosphorous, % m/m, min.  1.5 ISO 6491  
viii Ammoniacal nitrogen, % m/m, max  0,5 AOAC 941.04.06 
 
ix Sodium chloride, % m/m, max.  2 ISO 6495  
 
 
 
5. Food additives  
 
Fish meal shall comply with the maximum additives’  limits established by the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission  (CODEX STAN 19 2).  
 
 
6. Contaminants  
 
6.1 Aflatoxin  
 
Fish meal  shall comply with the limits for aflatoxin specified in Table 3 when tested in accordance with 
the test methods specified therein.  
Table 2 — Aflatoxin limits for fish meal  
S/No  Aflatoxin  Maximum limit s 
(µg/kg ) Test method s 
i.  Total aflatoxin   10.0 ISO 16050  
ii.   Aflatoxin B 1  5.0  ISO 17375  
 DARS 1838 :2023 
4 © ARSO 20 23 — All rights reserved  6.2 Pesticide residues  
Fish meal  shall comply with the maximum pesticide residue limits established by the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission.  
6.3 Heavy metals  
Fish meal  shall comply with the maximum limits for heavy metals specified in Table 3 when tested 
in accordance with the test methods specified therein.  
Table 3 — Limits for heavy metals in fish meal  
S/No  Heavy metal  Maximum limit  
mg/k g Test methods  
i.  Arsenic, (As)  2,0  AOAC 952.13  
ii.  Lead (Pb)  5,0  ISO 6633  
iii.  Cadmium (Cd)  1,0  ISO 6561 -1  
ISO 6561 - 2  
iv.  Mercury (Hg)  0,1 BS EN  1 4084, 
BS EN 15763  
 
7. Hygiene  
 
7.1 Fish meal shall be prepared and handled in accordance with CAC/RCP 54.  
7.2 Fish meal shall comply with the microbiological limits specified in Table 4 when tested in 
accordance with the test methods specified therein.  
Table 4 — Microbiological requirements in fish meal  
S/No  Microorganism  Requirement   Test 
method s 
I.  Escherichia coli ( E 
-  coli) Absent  ISO 16654  
II.  Salmonella spp  Absent  ISO 6579 -1  
III.  Pseudomonas 
aeruginosa  Absent  ISO 13720  
 DARS 1838 :2023 
© ARSO 20 23 — All rights reserved  5 8. Packaging  
 
Fish meal  shall be packaged in suitable containers that are of sufficient strength, and sufficiently sealed 
to withstand reasonable handling without tearing, bursting or falling open. The containers shall be clean 
and not previously used.  
9. Labelling  
 
In addition to the requirements in ARS 56, each package shall be legibly and indelibly marked with the 
following:  
 
a) name of the product as “Fish meal”  
b) name and physical address of the manufacturer /exporter/packer  
c) country of origin  
d) additives, if included  
e) net weight in metric units  
f) directions and precautions for use   
g) batch number/lot identification  
h) manufacturing date  
i)  expiry date  / used before date  
j) storage instructions  
k) nutrient s compos ition 
10. Sampling  
Sampling shall be done  in accordance with ISO 6497  
  DARS 1838 :2023 
6 © ARSO 20 23 — All rights reserved  Bibliography  
 
 
EAS 97, Fish meal — Specification . 
 
 
 CD-ARS XXXX :2023 
© ARSO 20 23 — All rights reserved