DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  
  DUS 931  
Second  Edition  
2019 -mm-dd 
 
 
 Reference number  
DUS 931 : 201 9 
© UNBS 201 9  
  
Minced meat  — Specification  
 DUS 931: 2019 
ii © UNBS 2019 – 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 application  
© UNBS 2018   
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 4 333 2 50/1/2/3  
Fax: +256 41 4 286 123  
E-mail: info@unbs.go.ug  
Web: www.unbs.go.ug  DUS 931 :2019 
© UNBS 201 9 – All rights reserved  iii 
 Contents  Page 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  iv 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  1 
2 Normative Reference ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................  1 
3 Terms and definitions adapt the previous definition in previous standards  ................................ .. 2 
4 Essential quality and composition requirements  ................................ ................................ ........................  3 
4.1 Meat ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................  3 
5 Food additives  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  3 
6 Contaminants  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  3 
6.1 Heavy metals  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  3 
6.2 Pesticides and veterinary drug residues  ................................ ................................ ................................ ... 4 
7 Hygiene  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  4 
7.1 Microbiology  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  4 
8 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  4 
9 Weights and measures  ................................ ................................ ................................ .........................  4 
10 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  4 
11 Nutrition and health claim  ................................ ................................ ................................ ....................  5 
12 Sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  5 
Bibliography  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................  6 
 
 DUS 931: 2019 
iv © UNBS 2019 – All rights reserved  
 Foreword  
Uganda National Bureau of Standa rds (UNBS) is a parastatal under the Ministry of Trade , Industry and 
Cooperatives established under Cap 327 , of the Laws of Uganda , as amended .  UNBS is mandated to co -
ordinate the elaboration of standards and is  
(a) a member of International Organisation for  Standardisation (ISO) and  
(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 throu gh Technical Committees. A Technical 
Committee is established to deliberate on standards in a given field or area and consists of key stakeholders 
including government, academia, consumer groups, private sector and other interested parties.  
Draft Uganda S tandards adopted by the Technical Committee are widely circulated to stakeholders and the 
general public for comments. The committee reviews the comments before recommending the draft standards 
for approval and declaration as Uganda Standards by the Nation al Standards Council.  
The committee responsible for this document is Technical Committee UNBS/TC 2, [Food and Agriculture], 
Subcommittee SC 12, [Meat, poultry and processed products ]. 
This the second  edition  (DUS 931:2019), which has  replaced US 931:2012 a nd has been technically revised .  
 DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  DUS 931 : 201 9 
 
© UNBS 2019 – All rights reserved  1 
 Minced meat  — Specification  
1 Scope   
This Draft Uganda Stan dard specifies requirements, methods of sampling and test for minced meat intended 
for use as fo od or as an ingredient in foods . 
2 Normative Reference   
The following referenced documents 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 
referen ces, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.  
US 28 , Code of practice for hygiene in the food and drink manufacturing industry  
US 45,  General standard f or food additives  
US 12,  Drinking (potable) water — Specification  
US 1659 , Materials in contact with food — Requirements for packaging materials  
US EAS 38 , Labelling of pre -packaged foods — General requirements  
US EAS 803 , Nutrition labelling — Requirements  
US EAS 804 , Claims on food — Require ments  
US EAS 805,  Use of nutrition and health claims — Requirements  
US 734,  Requirements for the design and operation of abattoirs and slaughterhouses  
US 737 , Hygienic requirements for the production of packaged meat products (processed or manufactured)  
US 738 , General standard for contaminants and toxins in food and feed  
US ISO 483 3, Microbiology of foods and animal feeding stuffs ─ Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
microorganisms – Part 2: Colony count technique at 30 °C  
US ISO 6579 , Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs -- Horizontal method for the detection of 
Salmonella spp.  
US ISO 7251 , Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the detection and 
enumeration of presumptive Escherichia coli — Most probable number technique  
 
  
2 © UNBS 201 9 – All rights reserved  
 3 Terms and definitions  adapt the previous definition in previ ous standards  
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.  
3.1 
meat  
parts of an animal or poultry that are intended for or have been judged as safe and suitable for, human 
consumption  
3.2 
poultry  
domesticated birds includi ng chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, guinea -fowls quail or pigeons  
3.3 
offal  
parts of the carcass such as blood, brain stem, heart, kidney, liver, pancreas, spleen, thymus, tongue and 
tripe, but excludes meat flesh, bone and bone marrow  
3.4 
edibl e offal  
parts of the carcass that has been passed as fit for human consumption. In the case of food animals other 
than poultry, these include red offal, green offal and white offal. In the case of poultry, these include giblets 
(the heart, gizzard and the li ver without the gall bladder, legs) including exterior parts such as hooves, hides, 
head’  
3.5 
meat flesh  
skeletal muscle of any slaughtered animal, and any attached animal rind; fat; connective tissue; nerve; blood; 
blood vessels; and skin, in the case of p oultry   
3.6 
fresh meat  
Meat  that  apart  from  refrigeration  has  not  been  treated  for  the  purpose  of preservation  other  than  
through  protective  packaging  and  which  retains  its natural characteristics  
3.7 
minced meat  
boneless meat that has been reduced  by grinding  into particles   
3.9 
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 fres h meat  
3.10 
other products of animal origin; co products  
parts of animals that are unsuitable for human consumption when they are produced at the slaughterhouse, 
but which can later be processed for use in human food such as hides and skins (later processe d into gelatine 
and collagen), sheep, goat and pig intestines processed into sausage casings, and omental fat processed into 
lard 
3.11 
food grade material  
materials that are free from substances that are hazardous to human health and may be permitted to co me in 
contact with food  DUS 931 : 201 9 
© UNBS 201 9 – All rights reserved  3 
 4 Essential quality and composition requirements  
4.1 Meat  
4.1.1 General requirements  
Minced meat shall be made from meat  cut and carcases  that are in accordance with the me at cuts and 
carcasses specifications for different types of animals for exampl e pig meat, cattle meat, goat meat, poultry, 
rabbit meat . All meat, used to produce minced meat shall meet the requirements for fresh meat. Such meat 
shall have come from premises approved in accordance with US 734. The meat shall have a health stamp  or 
mark.  
Scraps or waste that is inedible or unfit for human consumption such as meat containing bone fragments and 
skins shall not be used.  
Minced meat shall not contain more than 30 % fat.  
Minced meat shall be free from foreign matter such as hair, meta l chips, glass splinters, bone splinters, wood 
splinters, sawdust and dust  
Minced meat shall not contain added water or other ingredients.  
 
4.1.2 The following types of meat shall not be used in the production of minced meat  
a) genital organs of either fem ale or male animals;  
b) urinary organs and the bladder;  
c) the cartilage of the larynx, the trachea and the extra -lobular bronchi  
d) eyes and eyelids;  
e) external auditory meatus;  
f) horn tissue; and  
g) in poultry, the head, feet, oesophagus,  crop,  intestines and  genital organs.  
h) Foetus  
5 Food additives  
Minced meat may contain only permitt ed additives in accordance with US 45.  
6 Contaminants  
6.1 Heavy metals  
Minced meat shall conform to those maximum levels for heavy metals and other contaminants as stipulated in 
US 738.   
4 © UNBS 201 9 – All rights reserved  
 6.2 Pesticide s and veterinary drug residues  
Minced meat shall conform to the maximum residual limits for pesticide s and veterinary drug residues set by 
the Codex Alimentarius Commission.  
7 Hygiene  
Minced meat shall be produced , processed  and handled in accordance with US 28 and US 737.  
All meat to be used in the manufacture of minced meat shall have been subjected to the inspection processes 
and passed by an inspector as fit for human consumption.  
7.1 Microbiology  
The products shall conform to the microbiological limits in Table 1.  
Table 3  — Microbiological  requirements for Minced meat  
S/No. Microorganism  Limit  Test method  
i) Salmonella spp  Absent  US ISO 6579 , AOAC 
967:26  
ii) Total plate count, cfu per gram, Max.  106 US ISO 4833  
iii) E.coli MPN  per gram, Max  102 US ISO 7251   
iv) Staphylococcus aureus  102 US ISO 6888 -1 
v) Psedomus spp  Absent  ISO 13720  
vi) Listeria Monocytogens  Absent  ISO 11290 -1 
 
8 Packaging  
Minced meat shall be packaged in  food grade containers and shall be in accordance with US 1659  
9 Weights and measures  
Minced meat shall be packaged in accordance with the Weights and measures legislation.  
10 Labelling  
In ad dition to the requirements of US EAS 38, the following labelling requirements shall apply and shall be 
legibly and indelibly marked.  
a) the name “Minced meat” shall be declared on the label;  
b) the name shall be accompanied by a word describing the kind of meat used for example "Pork minced 
meat", or Beef minced meat";  Goat  minced meat , poultry  minced meat  
c) Net contents by weight (‘ System International') units;  
d) Name and physical address of the manufacturer/distributor;  DUS 931 : 201 9 
© UNBS 201 9 – All rights reserved  5 
 e) Country of origin;  
f) Lot /batch identification;  
g) Shelf life: best before/use by date;  
h) Statement ‘Food for Human Consumption’ shall appear on the package;  
i) Storage conditions  
j) Instructions on disposal of used package;  
k) Each con tainer may also be marked with a Certification Mark  
l) Any other requirement as given OIML R87, Quantity of product in pre -packages.  
m) Pack aging date.  
n) Instruction  for use  
11 Nutrition and health claim  
Minced meat  may have health claims associated with nutritional composition and health. Such claim s when 
declared shall be consistent with US EAS 805 . 
12 Sampling  
Sampling shall be carried out in accordance with US CAC/GL 50 . 
  
6 © UNBS 201 9 – All rights reserved  
 Bibliography  
[1] US 931:2012 , Minced meat — Specification  
. DUS 931 : 201 9 
© UNBS 2019 – All rights reserved  7 
 Certification marking  
Products that conform to Uganda standards ma y be marked with Uganda National Bureau of Standards 
(UNBS) Certification Mark shown in the figure below.  
The use of the UNBS Certification Mark is governed by the Standards Act, and the Regulations made 
thereunder. This mark can be used only by those lic ensed under the certification mark scheme operated by 
the Uganda National Bureau of Standards and in conjunction with the relevant Uganda Standard. The 
presence of this mark on a product or in relation to a product is an assurance that the goods comply wit h the 
requirements of that standard under a system of supervision, control and testing in accordance with the 
certification mark scheme of the Uganda National Bureau of Standards. UNBS marked products are 
continually checked by UNBS for conformity to that standard.  
Further particulars of the terms and conditions of licensing may be obtained from the Director, Uganda 
National Bureau of Standards.  
 
 DUS 931 : 201 9   
 
ICS 67.120.10  
Price based on nn pages  
© UNBS  2019– All rights reserved