DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD FINAL DRAFT UGANDA 
STANDARD  
  FDUS 997 
First Edition  
2013 -mm-dd 
 
 
 Reference number  
FDUS 997: 2013 
© UNBS 2013   
  
Fresh Matooke — Specification 
 DRAFT UGANDA STANDARDFDUS 997: 2013  
ii © UNBS 2013  – 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 2013  
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 UNB S. 
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: 256 414 505 995 
Fax: 256 414 286 123 
E-mail: unbs@infocom.co.ug  
Web: www.unbs.go.ug  DRAFT UGANDA STANDARDFDUS 997:2 013 
© UNBS 2013  – All rights reserved  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.  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/SPS Agreements 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, academicians, 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 draft standards 
for approval and declaration as Uganda Standards by the National Standards Council.  
This Final Draft Uganda Standard has been developed as a result of a need to provide guidance to industry in 
production and regulation of Fresh Matooke.  
Committee membership 
The following organisations were represented under the Fruits and vegetables sub-committee of the Food and 
Agriculture Standards Technical Committee, UNBS/TC 2, during the development of this standard: 
 Federation of Uganda Exporters Association 
 Government Analytical Laboratory 
 Horticulture Exports Association of Uganda 
 Ministry of Agriculture, Animal industry and Fisheries  
 Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives 
 National Organic Agricultural Movement of Uganda 
 Sulma Foods Ltd 
 Uganda National Farmers Federation 
 Uganda National Bureau of Standards 
 DRAFT UGANDA STANDARDDRAFT UGANDA STANDARDFINAL DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  FDUS 997: 2013  
 
© UNBS 2013  – All rights reserved  1 
 Fresh Matooke — Specification 
1 Scope 
This Final Draft Uganda Standard specifies requirements for fresh Matooke  grown from Musa spp . (AAA -EA) 
and of family  Musaceae  to be supplied fresh to the consumer  in its green state  
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. 
US 7, General standard for labelling of pre-packaged foods  
US 28, Code of practice for hygiene in the food and drink manufacturing industry   
US 500, Requirements for nutritional labelling of foods  
US 508, Requirements for nutritional and health claims for foods  
US 738, General standard for contaminants and toxins in foods  
CAC/RCP 44, Recommended international code of practice for packaging and transport of fresh fruits and 
vegetables  
3 Terms and definitions 
For the purposes of this standard, the following terms and definitions shall apply. 
3.1 
clusters 
fingers on the same crown of fresh Matooke  
3.2  
fingers 
individual fresh Matooke fruits 
3.3  
fresh Matooke 
cooking banana/plantain or green banana found inUganda  
4 Requirements  
4.1 General quality requirements 
Fresh Matooke shall be of a colour, flavour and taste appropriate for the species, free of organic and mineral 
impurities, free, as far as possible from damage caused by disease and insects.  DRAFT UGANDA STANDARDFDUS 997: 2013  
2 © UNBS 2013  – All rights reserved  
 4.2 Specific quality requirements 
4.2.1  In all classes, subject to the special provisions for each class and the tolerances allowed, the fresh 
Matooke shall be : 
a) whole and firm (taking the finger as the reference); 
b) sound, that is, produce not affected by rotting or deterioration such as to make it unfit for consumption  
c) clean, practically free of any visible foreign matter; 
d) practically free of pests affecting the general appearance of the produce; 
e) practically free of damage caused by pests; 
f) free of damage caused by low temperatures; 
g) practically free of bruises; 
h) free of malformation or abnormal curvature of the fingers; 
i) with pistils removed (deflowered) ; 
j) with the stalk intact, without bending, fungal damage or dessication; 
k) free from ripening;  
l) free from fused fingers; 
m) free from finger end rot;  
n) of the correct length; and 
o) without splits or broken pedicels or tips.  
4.2.2  In addition clusters shall include: 
a) a sufficient portion of the crown of normal coloring, sound and free of fungal contamination; and 
b) a cleanly cut crown, not bevell ed or torn, with no stalk fragments.  
5 Classification  
5.1 General 
Fresh Matooke may be classified in three classes namely 
 “Extra” Class,  
 Class I, and 
 Class II. DRAFT UGANDA STANDARDFDUS  997: 2013  
© UNBS 2013  – All rights reserved  3 
 5.2 “Extra” Class  
Fresh Matooke in this class shall be of superior quality and characteristic of the variety and/or commercial 
type. The fingers shall be free of defects, with the exception of very slight superficial defects, provided these 
do not affect the general appearance and quality of the produce, the keeping quality and presentation in the 
package. 
5.3 Class I 
Fresh Matooke in this class shall be of good quality and characteristic of the variety. The following slight 
defects of the fingers, however, may be allowed, provided these do not affect the general appearance and 
quality of the produce, the keeping quality and presentation in the package: 
a) slight defects in shape and color; and 
b) slight skin defects due to rubbing and other superficial defects not exceeding 2 cm2 of the total surface 
area. 
The defects shall not, in any case, affect the flesh of the fruit. 
5.4 Class II 
This class includes fresh Matooke which do es not qualify for inclusion in the higher classes, but satisfies the 
minimum requirements specified in 4.2.1 The following defects, however, may be allowed, provided the fresh 
Matooke retain their essential characteristics as regards the quality, the keeping quality and presentation: 
a) defects in shape and color, provided the product retains the normal characteristics of fresh Matooke; 
and 
b) skin defects due to scraping, scabs, rubbing, blemishes or other causes not exceeding 4 cm2 of the 
total surface area. 
The defects shall not, in any case, affect the flesh of the fruit. 
6 Provisions concerning sizes  
The reference fruit for measurement of the length is the median finger on the outer row of the clusters. 
The minimum length shall not be less than 10.0 cm.  
7 Provisions concerning tolerances  
7.1 General 
Tolerances in respect of quality and size shall be allowed for produce not satisfying the requirements of the 
class indicated. 
7.2 Quality tolerances  
7.2.1 “Extra” Class  
5 % by number or weight of fresh Matooke not satisfying the requirements of the class, but meeting those of 
Class I  DRAFT UGANDA STANDARDFDUS 997: 2013  
4 © UNBS 2013  – All rights reserved  
 7.2.2 Class I 
10 % by number or weight of fresh Matooke not satisfying the requirements of the class, but meeting those of 
Class II 
7.2.3 Class II 
10 % by number or weight of fresh Matooke satisfying neither the requirements of the class nor the minimum 
requirements, with the exception of produce affected by rotting, major imperfections or any other deterioration 
rendering it unfit for consumption 
7.3 Size tolerances 
For all classes, 10 % by number or weight of fresh Matooke not satisfying the requirements as regards sizing, 
but falling within the size immediately above or below th at indicated in Clause 5. 
8 Provisions concerning presentation  
8.1 Uniformity  
The contents of each package shall be uniform and contain only fresh Matooke of the same origin, variety, 
and quality. The visible part of the contents of the package shall be representative of the entire contents. 
8.2 Packaging  
Fresh Matooke shall be packed in such a way as to protect the produce properly.  
The materials used inside the package shall be of food grade, new, clean, and of such a quality as to avoid 
causing any external or internal damage to the produ ce during handling .  
The use of materials, particularly of paper or stamps bearing trade specifications is allowed, provided the 
printing or labeling has been done with non-toxic ink or glue. 
Fresh Matooke shall be packed in each container in compliance with CAC/RCP 44. 
Packaging materials shall conform to the environmental requirements and regulations of importing countries. 
8.3 Presentation  
The fresh Matooke may be presented as clusters or as single fingers. 
Clusters with no more than one missing fingers are allowed, provided the crown is not torn but cleanly cut, 
without causing damage to the neighboring fingers. 
9 Hygiene 
Fresh Matooke shall be produced and handled in accordance with US 28.  DRAFT UGANDA STANDARDFDUS  997: 2013  
© UNBS 2013  – All rights reserved  5 
 10 Contaminants 
10.1 Pesticide residues 
Fresh Matooke shall comply with those maximum pesticide residue limits established by the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission for this commodity.  
10.2 Heavy metals 
Fresh Matooke shall comply with those maximum levels for heavy metals in US 738. 
11 Packaging and presentation 
11.1 Uniformity  
Packaging material in a lot shall each contain fresh Matooke of the same commercial type, and shall have a 
uniform net weight. 
11.2 Packaging  
Packaging material shall be such as to ensure adequate protection against humidity during storage and 
transport of the product. Any material used inside the package shall be new, waterproof and harmless to 
human health. 
The container shall protect the product from any form of contamination 
12 Weights and measures  
Containers shall be as full as practicable without impairment of quality and shall be consistent with a proper 
declaration of contents for the product.  
13 Labelling 
Fresh Matooke shall be labelled in accordance with the requirements of US 7. In addition, the following 
specific provisions shall apply:  
a) name and address of exporter, packer and/or dispatcher and identification code (optional);  
b) name of the produce , if the contents a re not visible from the outside;   
c) name of the variety or commercial type (optional) ; 
d) name of country of origin and, optionally district where grown; 
e) commercial Identification which  may include  fresh Matooke  in fingers or clusters ;  
f) class;  
g) net weight; and  
h) official inspection mark (optional). 
Nutritional and health labelling claims may be made in accordance with US 500 and US 5 08.Bibliography DRAFT UGANDA STANDARDFDUS 997: 2013  
6 © UNBS 2013  – All rights reserved  
 Bibliography 
[1] CODEX STAN 205 -1997, AMD. 1- 2005, CODEX Standard for Bananas  
[2] Codex Alimentarius website: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/mrls/pestdes/jsp/pest_q-
e.jsp  
[3] www.wordnik.com/words/Fresh Matooke  
[4] www.traditionaltree.org 
. DRAFT UGANDA STANDARDFDUS  997: 2013  
© UNBS 2013  – All rights reserved  7 
 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 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 particulars of the terms and conditions of licensing may be obtained from the Director, Uganda 
National Bureau of Standards.  
 
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