KENYA STANDARD          DKS 2844: 2020 
ICS 67.120.10  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Fresh coarsely ground meat products  —  
Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
             PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT, AUGUST  2020  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 © KEBS 2020 Second  Edition , 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 DKS 2844: 2020 
 
ii  © KEBS 20 20 — All rights reserved   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Fresh coarsely ground meat products  —  
Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
           No copying of this standard without KEBS permission except as permitted by copyright law  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 © KEBS 20 20 Second  Edition, 20 20 
 
 
  KENYA STANDARD                                            DKS 2844: 2020 
ICS 67.120.10  
© KEBS 20 20 — All rights reserved    iii TECHNICAL COMMITTEE REPRES ENTATION  
 
The following organizations were represented on the Technical Committee:  
 
Ministry of Industry, Trade and Cooperatives 
Ministry of He alth – Food safety unit 
Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute  
National Public Health Laborator ies Services 
Government Chemist’s Department 
Food Science and Technology Platform Kenya  
Farmer’s Choice (K) Ltd. 
University of Nairobi — Department of Food  Science and Technology 
South Eastern Kenya University  
Meru University  
Egerton University 
Consu mer Information Network  
Kenchic (K) Ltd. 
Alpha Fine Foods Ltd. 
Kenya Meat Commission  
Directorate of Livestock Production  
Directorate of Veterinary Services  
Quality Meat packers 
Choice Meats Ltd. 
Kenya Bureau of Standards — Secretariat 
 
 
 
REVISION OF KENYA STANDARDS  
 
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for improvements to published standards, addressed to the Managing Director, Kenya Bureau of Standards, 
are welcome.  
 
 
 
 
 
© Kenya Bureau of Standards, 201 9 
 
Copyright. Users are reminded that by virtue of Section 25 of the Copyright Act, Cap. 130 of 2001  of the Laws of Kenya, copy right 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 means without prior permission in writing f rom the 
Managing Director.   DKS 2844: 2020 
 
iv  © KEBS 20 20 — All rights reserved   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Fresh coarsely ground meat products — 
Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
KENYA BUREAU OF STANDARDS (KEBS)  
 
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  KENYA STANDARD                                            DKS 2844: 2020 
ICS 67.120.10  
© KEBS 20 20 — All rights reserved    v Foreword  
 
This Kenya Standard was prepared by the Meat and Poultry Products Technical Committee under the 
guidance of the Standards Projects Committee, and it is in accordance with the procedures of the Kenya 
Bureau of Standards.  
 
The demand for minimally processed and p rocessed meat products such as minced meat, meat balls, meat 
burgers, meat rolls and ground kebabs that are intended for further cooking before consumption has increased 
tremendously over the years.  
 
In order to assure the general public of the safety and  quality of these categories of products, it has been found 
necessary to develop this standard. It is envisioned that this first edition of the standard will go a long way in 
safeguarding public health and enhance food safety.  
 
During the preparation of th is standard, reference was made to the following documents:  
 
The Food, Drugs and Chemical Substances Act, Cap 254 of the Laws of Kenya.  
 
International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods - Micro -organisms in Foods, 
Book 8.  
 
Acknowledgeme nt is hereby made for the assistance derived from these sources . 
 
  
KENYA STANDARD             DKS 2844: 2020 
 
 
© KEBS 20 20 — All rights reserved    1 Fresh coarsely ground meat products — Specification  
 
1 Scope   
 
This Kenya Standard specifies the quality and safety requirements, sampling and test methods  for fresh 
coarsely ground /minced  meat products. These include, but not limited to, meat balls, patties  such as  meat 
burgers meat rolls , meat pie s and ground kebabs  that are intended for further processing before 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 971.21 , Mercury in food by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS)  
 
AOAC 986.15, Arsenic, cadmiu m, lead, selenium, and zinc in human and pet foods by atomic absorption 
spectrometry (AAS) and anodic stripping voltammetry  (ASV)  
 
AOAC 999.10,  Lead, cadmium, zinc, copper, and  iron in foods by glass furnace atomic absorption 
spectroscopy (GFAAS)  and by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS)  
 
CAC/MRL 2 , Maximum residue limits for veterinary drugs in food  
 
KS ISO 6579 -1, Microbiology of the food 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 species)  — Part 1: Technique using 
Baird -Parker agar me dium  
 
KS ISO 10272 -2, Microbiology of the food chain — Horizontal method for detection and enumeration of 
Campylobacter spp. — Part 2: Colony -count technique  
 
KS 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  
 
KS ISO/TS 13136:2012 Microbiology of food and animal feed — Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) -
based method for the detection of food -borne pathogens — Horizontal method for the detection of Shiga toxin -
producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and the determ ination of O157, O111, O26, O103 and O145 serogroups  
 
KS CODEX STAN 192 , General st andard for food additives  
 
KS EAS 12 , Potable water — Specification   
 
KS EAS 35 , Edible salt — Specification  
 
KS EAS 38, Labelling of pre -packaged foods — General requirements  
  
2  © KEBS 20 20 — All rights reserved  KS EAS 39 , Hygiene in the food and drink manufactur ing industry — Code of practice  
 
KS 166 , Methods for the chemical analysis of meat and meat products  
 
KS 2761, Meat hygiene — Code of practice  
 
KS 2763, Meat speciation — Test method  
 
3 Terms and d efinitions  
 
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.  
 
3.1 
meat  
all parts of an animal that are intended for and have been judged as safe and suitable for human consumption  
 
3.2 
Ground /minced  meat  
boneless meat finely or coarsely chopped by a meat grinder or chopping knife leading to its reduction into 
fragments  
 
3.3 
minimum meat content  
the minimum permissible amount of meat together with fats and connective tissue for a particu lar species  
 
3.4 
maximum fat content  
the amount of fat permissible in a meat mi xture for a particular species  
 
3.5 
patties  
disc-like meat pro ducts formed from ground meat  
 
3.6 
fillers  
these are mostly plant substances, low in protein and high in carbohydrates that are used in  increasing the 
product volume  
 
3.7 
binders  
agents that are mixed homogenously in the processing to help in the structural consistency of the meat product  
 
3.8 
meat burgers - a flat round mass of minced or ground meat. Common types include beef burgers, chicken 
burgers, hamburgers, bacon burgers or fish burgers.  
3.9 
meat pie - ground  or minced meat mixed with a dark gravy, all covered in  pie pastry  
3.10 
meatballs - minced or ground meat rolled into a small ball that is commonly mixed with binders.  
3.11 
ground kebabs - Kebabs consist of cut up or ground/minced meat, sometimes with vegetables, and various 
other accompaniments according to the specific recipe  
3.12 DKS 2844: 2020 
 
© KEBS 20 20 — All rights reserved    3 meat roll - consist of ground meat rolled into cylindrical shape made from a mixture of different meats and 
spices 
 
 
4 Requirements  
 
4.1 General requirements  
 
4.1.1  The meat from which the product is prepared shall be of a quality suitable for human consumption and 
free from objectionable odours.   
  
4.1.2  The product shall be prepared, handled and delivered under hygienic conditions.  
 
4.1.3  The product shall be prepared in a facility which is complying with KS EAS 39.  
 
4.2 Raw material requirements  
 
4.2.1  Meat  
 
Meat shall be derived from animals slaughtered in a hygienically managed slaughter house complying with KS 
2761.   
 
   
4.2.2  Optional Ingredients  
 
All optional ingredients used shall be of food grade quality and comply with  applicable Kenya  Standards.   
 
4.2.2.1  Fillers and binders  
 
These include:  
 
a) Carbohydrates such as but not limited to meal, flour or starch prepared from grain, potato or sweet 
potato; bread, biscuit rusk or bakery products.   
 
b) Proteins such as milk powder, skim milk powder, butter milk powder, caseinate, whey powder, egg 
protein, dr ied blood produ cts, vegetable protein products.   
 
c) Sucrose, invert sugar, dextrose (glucose), lactose, maltose, glucose syrup (including corn syrup).  
 
d) Spices, seasonings and condiments complying with respective Kenya Standards.  
 
e) Salt complying with KS EAS 35. 
 
f) Water complying with KS EAS 12  
 
g) Food additives used in the fresh coarsely ground meat products shall be in accordance with the Food, 
Drugs and Chemical Substances Act, Cap. 254 of the Laws of Kenya and KS CODEX STAN 192.  
 
5 Essential composition and quality requirements  
  
4  © KEBS 20 20 — All rights reserved  Fresh coarsely ground meat products shall comply with the requirements given in Table 1  when tested in 
accordance with the methods given therein . 
 
Table 1  — Compositional requirements for fres h coarsely ground meat products . 
 
S/N Characteristic  Limit for final 
product (raw),  % Test method  
i.  Total meat content, min . 50  
 
KS 166  ii.  Fat content, max . 30 
iii.  Total ash, max.  3.0 
 
6 Hygiene requirements  
 
6.1 Fresh coarsely ground meat shall be prepared, handled and stored in accordance with the appropriate 
sections of KS EAS 39 and KS 2761 .  
 
6.2 All workers shall use appropriate personal protective equipment that does not contaminate the product.  
 
6.3 All workers shall undergo a food handlers test before their deployment and every so often as per   the 
Public Health Act , Cap. 242 of the Laws of Kenya and Food, Drugs and Chemical Substances Act , Cap. 254 
of the Laws of Kenya . 
 
6.4 Necessary precautions shall be taken to prevent incidental contamination of the product from soiled 
and/or dirty equipment or from persons suffering from injuries.  
 
6.5 All equipment coming into contact with raw material or product in the course of manufacture shall be 
kept clean.  
 
6.6 Adequate supply of running potable water that complies with EA S 12 and/or steam/boiling water, 
brushes, and other equipment necessary for proper cleaning of machinery/equipment shall be available.  
 
6.7 The equipment shall be cleaned, sanitised and/or disinfected using an appropriate food grade agent 
or with hot water  at a temperature above 82 ºC.  
 
7 Safety requirements  
 
7.1 Sampling  
The sampling of the fresh coarsely ground meat products  shall be in accordance to CAC/GL 50 
General guidelines on sampling  
  
7.2 Microbiological limits  
 
Fresh coarsely ground meat shall comply with the microbiological requirements given in Table 2 when tested 
in accordance with the methods given therein.  
 
Table 2  — Microbiological limits for fresh coarsely ground meat products  
 
S/N Micro -organism  Max. limit Test method  DKS 2844: 2020 
 
© KEBS 20 20 — All rights reserved    5  Hygiene parameters     
I.   Escherichia coli , cfu/g  102 KS ISO 4833  
II.  Coagulase positive Staphylococcus 
aureus ,  cfu/ g  103 KS ISO 6888 -1 
 Food safety parameters    
III.  Escherichia  coli O157:H7  Absent in 25 g  ISO/TS 13136  
IV.  Salmonella ssp  Absent in 25 g  KS ISO 6579 -1 
V.  Listeria monocytogenes  Absent in 25 g  KS ISO 11290 -1 
VI.  Campylobacter a Absent in 25 g  KS ISO 10272 -2 
 
a For poultry products . 
 
8 Pesticides and veterinary drug residues  
 
8.1 Veterinary drug residues  
 
The products covered by this standard shall comply with the maximum residue l imits specified in  CAC/MRL 2.  
 
8.2 Pesticide residues  
 
Fresh coarsely ground meat products shall comply with the maximum residue limits set by Codex Alimentarius 
Commission .  
 
9 Limits for heavy metal contaminants  
 
Fresh coarsely ground meat products shall not contain heavy metal contaminants in excess of the limits given 
in Table 3 when tested in accordance  with the methods mentioned therein.  
Table 3  — Limits for heavy metal contaminants  for fresh coarsely ground me at products  
 
S/N Contaminant  Maximum limit,  
ppm  Test method  
i.  Arsenic ( As) 0.1 AOAC 986.15  
 
ii.  Lead (Pb)  0.1 AOAC 999.10  
 
iii.  Cadmium  (Cd) 0.05 AOAC 986.15  
 
iv.  Mercury  (Hg) 0.03 AOAC 971.21  
 
NOTE Where a risk assessment indicates the possibility of occurrence of other heavy metal 
contaminants not listed, then the product shall be tested . 
 
10 Meat identification  
  
6  © KEBS 20 20 — All rights reserved  The identification/isolation of meat species shall be done according to KS 2763 or any other validated test 
method.  
 
11 Packaging  
 
11.1 Packaging shall be done in food grade packaging materials that protect the product from any physical, 
microbiological, chemical or any other type of contamination during handling, storage and distribution.  
 
11.2 The packages shall be able to withstand the  rigors of handling and transportation and shall not be 
exposed to direct sun or rain.  
 
11.3 For the burgers, food grade separators shall be used in layer packing of patties.  
 
12 Labelling  
 
Labelling of packages shall be done in accordance with the requi rements stipulated in KS EAS 38, and shall 
include the following:  
 
a) description /name of the product as appropriate;  
 
b) list of ingredients in descending order;  
 
c) allergens declaration;  
 
d) name, location and address of manufacturer;  
 
e) net weight, in metric units;  
 
f) declaration as “raw” product;  
 
g) declaration of minimum meat content by %;  
 
h) date of production/manufacture;  
 
i) expiry date;  
 
j) batch number;  
 
k) instructions for use ( shall inform the end -user to cook the product for recommended period of time 
before consumption) ; 
 
l) storage conditions and temperature of storage; and  
 
m) country of origin or “Made in Kenya” for locally manufactured products.