DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  
  DUS 1659  
First  Edition  
2016 -11-09 
 
 
 Reference number  
DUS 1659 : 2016 
© UNBS 2016   
  
Material s in Contact with Food  —  Requirements for Packaging 
materials  
 DUS 1659 : 2016  
ii 
 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 a re 
responsible for its correct application  
© UNBS  2016  
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, w ithout 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 1659 :2016  
iii 
 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 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 Enquir y 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 key stakeholders 
including government, academia, consumer groups, private sector and other interested parties.  
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 draft standards 
for approval and declaration as Uganda Standards by the National Standards Council.  
The committee responsible for this document is Technical Committee UNBS /TC2, [Food and Agriculture ], 
Subcommitt ee SC 19, [Food Packaging and Materials in Contact with Food ]. 
 DUS 1659 :2016  
1 
 Material s in Contact with Food  — Requirements for Packaging 
materials  
1 Scope   
This draft standard provides  the general  requirements of packaging items for food contact and their 
subsequent u se. 
2 Normative references   
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 
references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.  
ISO/TS 22002 -4:2013(E) - Prerequisite programs on food safety —Part 4:  Food packaging manufacturing  
DUS 1675 - Determination of overall migration of constituents of plastic m aterials and articles intended to 
come in contact with foodstuffs – method of analysis  
 
ISO 4531 Vitreous and porcelain enamels -- Migration from enamelled ware in contact with food -- Method of 
test and permissible li mit. 
ISO 3220:1975  Copper  and copper a lloys -- Determination of arsenic -- Photometric method  
 
ISO 7086 : 1 Glass hollowware in contact with food —Release of lead and cadmium —Part 1 : Test method  
 
3 Terms and definitions   
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions ap ply.  
3.1  
biodegradable  
capable of being decomposed by the action of living organisms, especially of bacteria  
3.2 
 Additive  
a material such as hardener, plasticizer, preservative etc. added to a base material to achieve a specific 
property.”  
3.3 
contamin ation : 
 all possible pollution of the finished packaging material, including microbiological , chemical and physical 
contaminants not intentionally added to the product and may compromise food safety.  
3.4 
rework  material  
materials intended for reprocessing  DUS  1659:2016  
2 
 3.5 
food packaging  
an entity of components that  predictably serve s the purpose to cover a certain food product (content) in a 
targeted and removable fashion . 
3.6 
migration  
transfer of substances from an external source to food  
3.7 
active materials and art icles  
materials and articles that are intended to extend the shelf -life or to maintain or improve the condition of 
packaged food; they are designed to deliberately incorporate components that would release or absorb 
substances into or from the packaged fo od or the environment surrounding the food.  
3.8 
intelligent materials and articles  
materials and articles which monitor the condition of packaged food or the environment surrounding the food.  
3.9 
Leaching  
is the process of extracting substances from a soli d by dissolving them in a liquid.  
3.10 
food grade material.  
Any material which does not contaminate food with harmful substances on coming in contact with it.  
3.11 
resin  
a solid or high ly viscous substance,  typically convertible into polymers.  
3.12 
food c ontact ink  
an ink solely composed of substances listed as permitted for direct food contact, permitted as food or as an 
additive for the food that is to be packed in the packagin g material which  is to be printed with  these inks.  
3.13 
certificate of analysi s 
document that confirms conformance to specifications or regulations . 
3.14 
material safety data sheet 
document that  contains information on the potential hazards and how to work safely with a given chemical 
product.  
3.15 
Colourant  
ingredients that alone or in combination with other ingredients impart or alter the colour of the product.”  
4 Requirements  
The kind of food packaging and the materials including active and intelligent materials used shall be chosen  in 
such a way that:  
I. the packaging itself does n ot have an adverse effect on the food product (e.g. through chemical 
reactions, leaching of packaging materials or absorption);  
II. the product does not have an adverse effect on the packaging, changing its properties or affecting its 
protective function.  
III. does  not result into unacceptable changes in the organoleptic characteristics of the food.  DUS  1659:2016  
3 
 IV. does not to leak, nor allow diffusion and permeation . ; 
V. is strong enough to hold the contents when subjected to normal handling;  
VI. is not altered by the ingredients of the  food product in its final form . 
4.1.  Raw materials  
Raw materials used in the manufacture of packaging items for food contact use shall be food grade and  shall 
be accompanied with relevant certificates of analysis  and material safety data sheets . 
4.1.1  Colourants  
Colourants used in packaging materials which are to come into contact with food shall be food grade .  
4.1.2   Rework materials  
Rework materials used in the manufacture of packaging items for food contact use shall be prepared from raw 
items that ha ve not been used or printed and have been manufactured in compliance  with Good 
Manufacturing Practices . Post -consumer recycled material shall not be used in direct contact with food.  
4.1.3  Resin s 
The resin s selected shall be of food grade material . 
4.1.4  Identification of raw materials  
The manufacturer shall ensure that the raw materials are of the correct grade and are correctly labelled for 
food contact use.  
Packaging raw materials identified as prescribed shall be accepted only in clean, tamper proof co ntainers.  
4.3 Storage and Control  
Packaging  materials and rework materials intended for food contact use shall be stored separately from other 
materials in closed, properly identified containers.  
4.4 Additives, Processing aids and Colorants  
The additives selected and their dosages should be accepted as indirect food additives  according their 
prescribed conditions of use.  
For the mass content of any additive which exceeds 1%, the specific name or the chemical  structure of the 
additive shall  be indicated.  
4.5 Printing Ink and C oating  
Printing inks  and or coatings  shall not be placed on any part of a packaging item that normally comes into 
contact with foodstuffs. If such contact is unavoidable the printing ink and or coatings shall be of food grade 
and shall conform to the requirements of the materials accepted as food additives and shall comply with the 
relevant   Codex standards.  
4.6 Performance of the packaging materials  
The performance of the packaging material shall be identified clearly during the manuf acturing and the 
following subjects shall at least be considered  
i. the nature of the food product to be packaged  DUS  1659:2016  
4 
 ii. the surface/volume ratio  
iii. the expected maximum shelf -life of the food product  
iv. the filling, sealing and storage methods to be used  
v. the heating , cooling, sterilization and pasteurization processes to which the packaging material and 
contents may be exposed  
The required performance shall, wherever possible, be translated into technical specifications such as 
permeability, mechanical strength, bar rier properties and specific organoleptic tests to be performed.  
4.7  Migration  
Packaging materials for food contact use shall not transfer their constituents to foodstuffs in quantities 
exceeding  Specific Migration Limits and or Overall Migration Limits  when tested according to  relevant 
standards.  
This shall be attained by either:  
i. obtaining and verifying information received from supplier about the compliance  with specific 
restrictions  
ii. controlling or verifying the compo sition of the raw materials,  
iii. control ling or verifying the migration fe atures of the raw materials  
iv. the use of functional barriers   
v. testing directly the intermediate or finished products.  
Where migration analysis is not considered necessary and thus not conducted, a justification shall be 
provided.  
4.7.1  Plastic Materials  
Plastic packaging m aterials intended to come into contact with food  when sampled and tested according to 
DUS 1675 shall not exceed 60  milligrams of the constituents released per kilogram of foodstuff or food 
simulant (mg/kg)  (overall migration limit). However, this limit shall be 10 milligrams per square decimetre of 
surface area of material or article (mg/dm2) in the case of the following : 
i. articles which are containers or are comparable to containers or which can be filled, with a capacity of 
less than 500 millilitres (ml) or more than 10 litres (l);  
ii.  sheet, film or other material or articles which cannot be filled or for which it is impracticable to 
estimate the relationship between the surface area of such material or artic le and the quantity of food 
in contact therewith.  
4.7.2  Packaging Materials made of Alloys  
Packaging Alloys for food contact shall contain only aluminium. chromium, Copper, gold, iron, magnesium, 
manganese, molybdenum, nickel, silicone, silver, tin titaniu m, zinc, cobalt, vanadium and carbon.  
Alloys used for solders which may come into contact with food shall contain a maximum of 0.5% cadmium.  
4.7.3  Glass  Packaging Materials  
Permissible  limits  shall be 0.5 mg/ kg for Lead and 0.25 mg/ kg for Cadmium when te sted according to ISO 
7086:1  
 DUS  1659:2016  
5 
 4.7.4  Ceramic Packaging materials  
Quantities of lead and cadmium transferred from ceramics when tested according to shall not exceed the 
limits given in table 1  
Table 1 shows the permissible limits for lead and cadmium for ce ramic items intended  to come into 
contact with food.  
Category  Description  Lead  Cadmium  Methods of Test  
1 Items which cannot be filled and items which can be 
filled, the internal depth of which measured from the 
lowest point to the horizontal plane passin g through 
the upper rim does not exceed 25 mm.  Max 
(mg/dm2) 0.8 0.07 ISO 6486:1  
2 All other items which can be filled , Max  (mg/l)   4.0 0.3 
3 Items having a capacity of more than 3 litres  Max, 
(mg/l)  1.5 0.1 
 
4.7.5 Non-regulated  substances  
 In instan ces where  substances used in raw mater ials for  packaging may not be covered by any of the  
available  legislation, guidelines or recommendation s, confirmation shall be obtained from the supplier s 
that they have  identified and made a safety assessment of the non-regulated  substances, in order to 
avoid the exposure of consumers to migrating substances at levels that could potentially pose a risk to 
consumer health . 
5  Hygiene  
Food grade packaging materials  shall be produced and  handled in hygienic manner in accordance with DUS 
ISO 22000 -4 to prevent contamination  putting into consideration that  most  packaging items may not be 
sterilized before use . 
6 Packaging  
Packaging items for food contact shall be packaged in such a manner as to ensure that the items do not 
become contaminated during storage and handling.  
The contents of each package shall be uniform and contain only Packaging items  of the same origin, 
quality, and size (if sized). 
7 Weights and Measures  
The weight of the package of the product shall comply w ith the Weights and Measures regulations.  
8 Labelling  
 The following specific requirements shall apply and  shall be legibly and indelibly marked: 
i. name of the packaging material”  
ii. name and physical  address of  manufacturer  and/or distributor  
iii. type of food suit able for the packaging  DUS  1659:2016  
6 
 iv. temperature at which the food should be packaged  
v. net weight  or length in metric units  
vi. lot identification ( batch number)  
vii. Storage conditions  
viii. Words “ for food contact use” or the following symbol shall appear on the labelling  
 
 
When labelling non-retail packages, information for non-retail packages shall either be given on the pa ckages 
or in accompanying documents, except that the name of the produce, lot identification and the na me and 
address of the manufacturer or packer shall appear on the package. DUS  1659:2016  
7 
 Bibliography  
[1] Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004  – Materials and Articles in Contact with Food .  
[2] CFR 21 - Code of Federal Regulations Title 21  DUS  1659:2016  
8 
 Certification marking  
Products that conform to Uganda standards may be marked with Uganda Nat ional 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 licensed under the certificati on 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 with 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 particul ars of the terms and conditions of licensing may be obtained from the Director, Uganda 
National Bureau of Standards.  
 
 WDUS :2016    
 
ICS 55.040  
Price based on nn pages  
© UNBS  2016 – All rights reserved