DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  
  DUS 932 
Second  Edition  
2018 -mm-dd 
 
 
 Reference number  
DUS 932: 2018 
© UNBS 2018   
  
Bovine (beef) carcass and cuts — Specification  
 DUS 932: 2018  
ii © UNBS 2018  – 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 c orrect 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 932:2018  
© UNBS 2018  – All rights reserved  iii 
 Contents  Page 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  iv 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  2 
4 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  2 
4.1 General requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  2 
4.2 Quality requirements ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................  2 
5 Bovine categories and grading  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............  3 
6 Refrigeration  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  3 
7 Ageing ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .....................  4 
8 Food additives  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....... 4 
9 Contaminants  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  4 
9.1 Heavy metals  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  4 
9.2 Pesticide and veterinary drug residues  ................................ ................................ ..............................  4 
10 Hygiene  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  4 
10.1  Microbiology  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  5 
11 Slaughter system / method  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  5 
12 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  5 
13 Marking and labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  6 
13.1  Marking of carcass  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................  6 
13.2  Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  6 
13.3  Specific labelling requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........  6 
14 Storage method  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 7 
15 Transportation  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....... 7 
16 Sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  7 
Bibliography  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................  8 
 DUS 932: 2018  
iv © UNBS 2018  – All rights reserved  
 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 Enquiry Point o n 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 stakehol ders 
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 t he 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 /TC 2, [Food and Agriculture ], 
Subcommittee SC 12, [Meat, poultry and processed products ]. 
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition ( US 932:2012 ), which  has been technically revised.  
 DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  DUS 932: 2018  
 
© UNBS 2018 – All rights reserved  1 
 Bovine (beef) carcass and cuts — Specification  
1 Scop e 
This Draft U ganda Standard specifies requireme nts, methods of test and sampling  for bovine (beef) carcasses 
and c uts meant for human consumption . 
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.  
US 45, General standard for food additives (6th Edition)  
US 734, Requirements for the design and operation of abattoirs and slaughterhouses  
US 737, Requirements for hygiene in the production of packaged meat products (processed or manufactured)  
US 738, General standard for contaminants and toxins in food and feed (5th Edition)  
US 77 9, Requirements for the transportation of meat and meat products  
US 922:2011, Meat grading system – Requirements – Part 1: Beef  
US 1659:2017, Materials in contact with food — Requirements for packaging materials  
US CAC/GL 50 , General guidelines on sampling  
US EAS 38 , Labelling of pre -packaged foods — General requirements  
US EAS 803 , Nutrition labelling — Requirements  
US EAS 804, Claims on food — Requirements  
US EAS 805 , Use of nutrition and health claims — Requirements  
US ISO 4833 -1, Microbiology of the food chain – Horizontal method for the enumeration of microorganisms – 
Part 1: Colony count at 30 C by the pour plate technique  
US ISO 6579, Microbiology of food and animal feeds — Horizontal method for detection, enumeration and 
serotyping of Salmonella, Enumeration by a miniaturiz ed most probable number technique  
US ISO 6888 -1, Microbiology of food and animal feeds — Horizontal method for enumeration of Coagulase - 
positive staphylococci. (Staphylococcus aureus and other species), Detection and MPN technique for low 
numbers  
US ISO 7 251, Microbiology of food and animal feeds — Horizontal method for detection, enumeration of 
presumptive Escherichia coli – Most probable number technique   
2 © UNBS 2018  – All rights reserved  
 US ISO 11290 -1, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the detect ion and 
enumeration of Listeria monocytogenes — Part 1: Detection method  
US ISO 13720 , Meat and meat products — Enumeration of presumptive Pseudomonas spp . 
3 Terms and definitions   
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.  
3.1 
Bovin e 
scientific name for cattle  
3.2  
cattle  
domesticated mammals of the genus Bos, including cows, steers, heifers, calves, bulls, and oxen, often raised 
for meat and dairy products  
3.3  
Carcass  
body of any slaughtered animal after bleeding and dressing  
3.4 
dressed or dressing  
removal of head, hide or skin, viscera, genital organs , urinary bla dder and from the carpal and tarsal joints of 
leg and udder of lactating animals that have calved or are in advanced pregnancy and where necessary 
splitting of the carcass lengthwise  
3.5  
Split  
dividing the carcass lengthwise into two halves  
3.6  
freezer -burn  
localized or widespread areas of irreversible surface dehydration indicated, in part or all, by changes from 
original colour (usually paler), and / or tactile properties (dry, spongy)  
4 Requirements  
4.1 General requirements  
The carcass shall be deriv ed from healthy bovine animals that have been slaughtered in a hygienically 
managed slaughterhouse that is supervised by a competent authority in accordance with US 734 .   
The carcass shall be certified as being sound and free from contagious and infectiou s diseases and fit for 
human consumption by a competent person.   
The certified carcasses and cuts shall bear suitable marks of such inspection, the symbol or number or name 
of the establishment where they were prepared, and the legend 'PASSED' denoting wh olesomeness of the 
carcass. The marking fluid used shall be food grade ink.  
4.2 Quality requirements  
4.2.1  The carcass or cuts shall be:  DUS 932: 2018  
© UNBS 2018  – All rights reserved  3 
 a) intact, taking into account the presentation;  
b) free from visible blood clots, or bone dust and bone splinters;  
c) free from any visible foreign matter (for example, dirt, wood, metal particles and ingesta contamination 
from the viscera;  
d) free of offensive odours;  
e) free of prominent bloodstains;  
f) free of unspecified protruding or broken bones;  
g) free of contusions having a material impact on the product  
h) free from freezer -burn; and  
i) free of spinal cord (except for whole unsplit carcases).  
4.2.2  Cutting, trimming, and boning of cuts shall be done with sufficient care to maintain cut integrity and 
identity, and avoid scores in  the lean.   
4.2.3  Ragged edges shall be removed close to the lean surfaces. Except for cuts that are separated 
through natural seams, all cross -sectional surfaces shall form approximate right angles with the skin surface. 
Minimal amounts of lean, fat or b one may be included on a cut from an adjacent cut.   
4.2.4  For boneless cuts, all bones, cartilage, and visible surface lymph glands shall be removed.  
5 Bovine categories and grading   
The bovine categories and grading system used for the whole carcasses shall be in accordance with US 922 .  
6 Refrigeration  
6.1 The beef carcass or cuts shall be prepared, handled fresh, chilled or frozen, and then delivered fresh, 
chilled or frozen, under hygienic conditions.  
6.1.1 Ambient temperatures shall be maintained throughout the supply chain so as to ensure uniform 
internal product temperatures as follows in Table 2 , 
Table 2 — Refrigeration categories  
Sn. Category  Description  
i Chilled  Internal product temperature maintained at not less than – 1.5 °C or more than +  7°C at any time 
following the post -slaughter chilling process.  
ii Frozen  Internal product temperature maintained at not exceeding – 12 °C at any time after freezing  
iii Deep frozen  Internal product temperature maintained at not exceeding – 18 °C at any time after freezing.  
 
6.1.2  The carcass or cuts shall show no evidence of deterioration.  
6.1.3  Fresh carcass shall be cooled to the ambient temperature when delivered.   
4 © UNBS 2018  – All rights reserved  
 6.1.3  The beef carcasses sides or cuts shall be pre -chilled before freezing and the f reezing shall be 
completed at minus ( -) 12 °C at the highest, within three days.  
6.1.4  Frozen beef carcasses or carcass sides shall be pre -chilled before freezing and stored at minus ( -) 
18 °C at the highest.  
6.1.5  Fresh beef cuts shall be prepared from fresh carcasses and shall be well trimmed and clean with 
surplus fat removed.  
6.1.6  Chilled beef cuts shall be obtained from fresh or chilled carcasses and chilled.  
6.1.7  Frozen beef cuts, shall be obtained from the fresh, chilled or frozen carcasses and  kept frozen.  
6.1.8  The frozen material shall be consumed within 12 months under normal conditions of storage  
7 Ageing  
a) Chilled fresh beef may be aged for a period of two weeks to four weeks at a temperature of between 1 
°C to 3 °C.  
b) Dry aged primal and b one in fabricated cuts shall be aged at 1 °C to 3 °C for a minimum period of two 
weeks after slaughter.  
c) Vacuum packed primal and fabricated cuts shall be aged at 1 °C to 3 °C for at least 2 weeks while 
ensuring that the vacuum is intact the whole time.  
d) Before the meat is aged, it shall be conditioned at a temperature of 15 °C.   
8 Food additives  
Food additives may be used in beef carcasses and cuts in accordance with US 45 .  
9 Contaminants   
9.1 Heavy metals  
Beef carcasses and cuts shall conform to thos e maximum levels for heavy metals and other contaminants as 
stipulated in US 738 .  
9.2 Pesticide and veterinary drug residues  
Beef carcasses and cuts shall conform to the maximum residual limits for pesticide and veterinary drug 
residues set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission  
10 Hygiene  
Beef carcasses and cuts shall be produced and handled in accordance with US 737.    
Beef carcasses and cuts shall not be exposed to contamination or subjected to any harmful substances that 
render them unfit for human con sumption.  DUS 932: 2018  
© UNBS 2018  – All rights reserved  5 
 10.1 Microbiology  
Bovine  carcasses and cuts shall be free or have an acceptable limits of microorganisms as stated in Table 2 
below;  
Table 2 — Microbiological limits for Bovine  meat   
SN Microorganism  Limit/Max.  Test method  
i Salmonella spp /25 g Absent  US ISO 6579  
ii Escherichia coli  MPN /g Absent  US ISO 7251  
iii Listeria monocytogenes (for ready 
to eat cuts)  cfu/ 25 g Absent  US ISO 11290  
iv Staphylococcus aureus /g 10 3  US ISO 6888 -1 
v  Pseudomonas aeruginosa / g < 10 US ISO 13720  
vi Aero bic colony count cfu/g  10 6 US ISO 4833 -1 
 
11 Slaughter system / method  
The supplier shall specify the slaughter system or method to the purchaser either on packaging material or on 
stalls of sell as follows;  
a) Kosher -appropriate ritual slaughter proced ures used  
b) Halal –appropriate ritual slaughter procedures used  
c) Other -any other authorized method of slaughter must be specified by buyer and seller  
12 Packaging  
When packaged, beef carcasses and cuts shall be packaged in hygienic food grade material s and the 
packaging material shall be in accordance with US 1659 .  
The frozen material shall be wrapped either with hosiery or linen cloth, then in kraft paper or polyethylene films 
and finally in Hessian cloth or any other technologically appropriate and approved materials.  
Different cuts of beef such as steaks, patties shall be layer packed in internally waxed cartons.  
Vacuum -packed cuts shall be delivered with vacuum -packed containers intact.  
During the storage and transport, the bovine carcasses and cuts shall be packaged to the following minimum 
requirements:  
a) carcasses and quarters:  
i. chilled with or without packaging; and  
ii. frozen/deep frozen packaged to protect the products;  
b) cuts (chilled):  
i. Individually Wrapped (I.W.);   
6 © UNBS 2018  – All rights reserved  
 ii. bulk pac kaged (plastic or wax -lined container);  
iii. Vacuum -packaged (VAC);  
iv. Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP); and  
v. any other technologically appropriate and approved methods;  
c) cuts (frozen/deep frozen):  
i. Individually wrapped (I.W.);  
ii. bulk pac kaged (plastic or wax -lined container);  
iii. Vacuum -packed (VAC); and  
iv. any other technologically appropriate and approved methods  
13 Marking and labelling  
13.1 Marking of carcass  
The carcass shall be marked with a health mark and the stamping ink sh all be food grade. The species, beef 
shall be declared and the category and grade of the carcass may be declared.  
13.2 Labelling  
Beef cuts shall be labelled in accordance with the requirements of US EAS 38 .  
Nutritional labelling  and nutrition or health c laims may be made in accordance with US EAS 803 , US EAS 805  
and US EAS 804 .  
13.3 Specific labelling requirements  
In addition to 13.2, the following specific provisions shall apply:  
a) the name of the cut s hall be declared on the label ‘Beef/Bovine cuts or carcass’  
b) the species of the animal shall be declared from which the cut is obtained  
c) the date of minimum durability shall be declared by the day, month and year and shall by preceded by 
the words “Use by…..”;  
d) storage and distribution instructions;  
e) the nam e and physical address of the producer shall be declared;  
f) the establishment approval number;  
g) production date shall be declared;  
h) batch number;  
i) net weight; and  
j) number of pieces   DUS 932: 2018  
© UNBS 2018  – All rights reserved  7 
 14 Storage method  
a) Bovine  carcasses and cuts may be stored and preserved dep ending on the refrigeration method used, 
ambient temperatures should be such throughout the supply chain to ensure uniform internal product 
temperatures as follows;  
b) Deep frozen meat -Internal product temperature maintained at not exceeding -18°C at any time  after 
freezing The carcasses, sides or cuts, shall be pre chilled before freezing and the freezing completed 
at -18°C or lower temperature within 24 hours.  
c) Frozen meat -Internal product temperature maintained at not exceeding -12°C at any time after 
freezi ng Frozen carcass, sides or cuts, shall be stored at -18°Cor lower and the material shall be 
consumed within 9 months.  
d) Chilled meat -Internal product temperature maintained at not less than -1.5°C or more than +8°C at 
any time following the post -slaughter c hilling process within 12 hours and consumed in a week under 
normal storage.  
Note 1 ; Ageing solution is stirred and allowed to stand for 12  hours. The carcass may be aged for a period of 2 weeks at 
before use a temperature of 1°C.  
15 Transportation  
During  transportation, Bovine meat  shall be following minimum requirements below as in accordance with US 
779.  
a) Wrapped in food grade polyethylene film or any other flexible packaging material and packed in cartons  
b) Transported under clean and hygienic cond itions  
c) The frozen material shall be moved in refrigerated transport and the packages shall be handled under 
hygienic conditions.  
d) At the port, the loading of the packages shall be done by using canvas stings and the packages shall not 
be exposed to di rect sun or rain  
Note 1 : The conditions of storage before dispatch and the equipment used for transportation shall be appropriate to the 
physical and in particular the thermal condition of the meat (chilled, chilled in a modified atmosphere, frozen, or dee p-
frozen) and shall be in accordance with the requirements of the importing country.  
16 Sampling  
Sampling shall be carried out in accordance with US CAC/GL 50   
8 © UNBS 2018  – All rights reserved  
 Bibliography  
[1] UNECE STANDARD, Bovine meat carcasses and cuts, Edition 2004, Working Party on A gricultural 
Quality Standards   
[2] US 932:2012, Bovine (beef) carcass and cuts — Specification   
 DUS 932: 2018  
© UNBS 2018 – All rights reserved  9 
 Certification marking  
Products that conform to Uganda standards may 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 licensed under the certification mark scheme operated by 
the Uganda National Bureau of Standard s 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 ac cordance 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 932: 2018    
 
ICS 67.120.10  
Price based on nn pages  
© UNBS 2018 – All rights reserved